Upper
December 16, 2022
Students attend Diversity Leadership Conference
Sophomores Areej Arif and Shlok Mehta, junior Nathan Walker, and senior Zara Asghar attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3. The conference, for Upper School students from independent schools throughout the country, focused on self-reflection, building community, and forming allyship. “The experiences and stories I heard at the conference really opened my eyes to what an inclusive community could look like. In addition, being in a space where people have like-minded goals and aspirations allowed me to feel comfortable, it allowed us to have deep discussions about serious topics. It highlighted the importance of having safe spaces in a community because when people are not in fear of being in the wrong, a thoughtful discussion will emerge,” Walker said. Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Racheal Quinn and Upper School history teacher and learning specialist Amaris White accompanied the students.
Alumni stress importance of passion
The four Seven Hills alumni who took part in the December Alumni Career Panel stressed to Upper Schoolers during lunch the importance of being passionate about their future careers. “Do what you love and be happy,” said Brandon Hydrick ’92, who shared that he was simply going through the motions working in finance until he decided to attend the Culinary Institute of America. He is now the bakery team leader at Whole Foods Market. Rob Chavez ’06, who is a partner at real estate investment firm Chavez Properties, reassured the students that a Seven Hills education would make them ready for any career. “A lot of the things they teach at this school, like empathy, community, and working together, really helped me to be successful in any business environment,” he said.
Teaching Coding to Lotspeich Students
Students in Marcus Twyford’s Upper School computer science classes taught the ins and outs of coding to Lotspeich students. After a demonstration showing why coding needs to rely on focused directions rather than context clues, Upper School students assisted Lotspeich students as they learned how to code games and other activities online.
Poetry lesson from professionals
Poets Susannah Case and Margo Taft Stever, an alumna from the Hillsdale Class of 1968, visited Tricia Hoar’s AP English classes. Case and Stever led a poetry lesson, in which students read, analyzed, and discussed numerous poems. The poets also had lunch and talked about their work with the Upper School journalism class.
Less stress for exams
The Upper School had a snow-themed Stress Less Week to help students unwind between tests during exam week. There were therapy dogs in the Young Family Library, “Frosty the Snowman” cartoons during lunch in the Hillsdale Commons, snowman stress balls being handed out at Four Corners, and hot cocoa in the morning before final exams of the week.
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Five Stingers Sign to Play in College
Five Stingers from the Class of 2024 signed their letters of intent to continue their athletic careers in college.
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