Above and Beyond

City on a Hill students are in school for a long day.  They arrive at or before 7:45am and most don’t leave until 4:30pm.  Those who participate in after school clubs or sports stay as late as 5:30 or 6pm.  For some, that’s a 10-hour day before homework – longer than many people spend at their full-time jobs.  They also have an extended week.  Students have Saturday school one Saturday per month, where freshmen and sophomores take practice MCAS exams, juniors take practice SAT tests, and the seniors taking AP courses come in to do work in those classes.  And if longer school days and longer school weeks are not enough, CoaH students also have a longer school year than their district counterparts.  All incoming freshmen attend a two-week long Freshman Academy in August, and starting in September with the start of the traditional school year, City on a Hill students are in school for 190 days, compared to 180 days for their friends in district schools.

We must also not forget that for all the extra time City on a Hill students spend in school CoaH faculty and staff members spend an equal amount of time, if not more, helping students succeed as they navigate through CoaH’s rigorous academic curriculum in preparation for college.  The dedicated staff at City on a Hill work countless hours outside of the school day, week, and year.  They work with students before and after school when they need extra help outside of class.  They meet with parents and guardians to form a united and supportive front as their students prepare for college.  They coach sports teams and advise clubs to ensure that their kids have access to the same well-rounded high school experiences as their peers in district schools.  They go to evening events to raise money and support for the programs that make possible the success of our students.  They go to school themselves in the evenings and on weekends to learn and grow as professionals.    

All members of the CoaH community – students, staff, parents, Board members, and supporters – work extremely hard to build what we have here.  One might think that after all the time put in on a regular basis, students and staff would cherish the time to themselves when a free weekend presents itself.  So, when the American Diabetes Association offered City on a Hill the opportunity to show its support for another great cause by participating in its annual Walk for Diabetes, I was amazed at the response.  This past Saturday, I showed up at the Boston Common, looking for the City on a Hill check-in table.  It wasn’t hard to find, as I quickly spotted the throngs of familiar smiling faces – some of which had been there since 8:30am – waiting eagerly for the walk to start.  While the mob of CoaH students and staff walked around the Common with thousands of other walkers from all over the city, I hung back at the check-in table, just in case any latecomers were looking for the group.  Sure enough, students and staff kept coming, some running to catch up with the rest of the group to participate in the walk, others to simply hang out and show their support for the ADA and for the school that they already dedicate so much time to.

Christine Bullard came to City on a Hill in 2009 and is the school’s Assistant Director of Development & Community Relations.  She has a B.S. from Cornell University, an M.S.Ed from The University of Pennsylvania, and an MPA in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy from NYU.