For the past two years, 3rd formers were required to attend ‘service’ learning days in an effort to help Hill students be more connected to the Pottstown community and become active leaders in solving social problems.

The limited time allocated and logistical constraints of having over 100 students made the ‘service’ learning experience seem more like community service.

“We got mixed feedback from students about the effectiveness of these community service days, and they were difficult and bulky to organize with local farms,” Kelsey Bessette, Instructor of History and one of the Enrichment Learning heads, said. “So this year, faculty who worked on organizing the service learning projects decided to shift gears a little, and try something different.”

This year, Hill’s class of 2021 will be experiencing Enrichment Learning. The two faculty members leading the program are Bessette and Katy Hudak, Instructor of English. The ‘enrichment’ part implies that the day will be supplementary.

Bessette and Hudak are planning two Saturdays in which the entire 3rd form will do activities that will tie to the classrooms, especially English and History.

“At Hill, we look at student education as holistic,” Bessette said. “Our whole model is premised on the fact that learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom. Enrichment learning is simply another outlet for students to experience and learn in different, more hands-on and dynamic ways.”

The 3rd form service learning day began with a viewing of Iron Jawed Angels, an inspirational movie about Woman Suffrage.

Following this, the 3rd formers gathered into small groups and discussed their favorite and least favorite scenes.

David Chow ’21 said that the activity was very insightful and enlightening and that the scenes in the movie illustrated the harsh realities of the suffragette movement.

“I think it helped us understand the story better, instead of only knowing the cause and the result,” Chow said.

However, Chow believes the 3rd form enrichment learning should have a form discussion instead of splitting off into small groups.

“I would be able to obtain more opinions from my peers, expand my knowledge as well as understand their perspective towards the movie,” Chow said.

Chow also said that after he watched the movie he realized the hardship and intense challenges that women had to face in order to fight for their equal rights.

“This movie was very inspirational and it amazes me how persistence is very important to everything we do as a citizen,” Chow said.