Last year, following the demolition of the Classroom Building, Hill began construction of what is to become its newest dorm. In tandem with this project was the construction of Dellside Dorm, a temporary dorm that will house students until the new dorm is opened. Dellside takes the place of the Dell Science building, which had been constructed in 2019 and used during the 2020-21 school year to accommodate the extra classroom space needed for socially distant learning. The dorm opened at the start of this school year and currently houses 23 students, the majority of which are 5th form girls in addition to a few 6th form prefects.

As a new temporary dorm, Dellside offers a variety of both drawbacks and benefits that have been voiced by students. For Jennie Ki ’23, newly constructed furniture and living spaces are both advantages to residing in Dellside. 

“I was living in Rolfe last year, and I’m in Dellside this year. What’s nice about Dellside is that everything’s new. The walls, floors, beds, tables — nothing is very worn out or creaky. Dellside also has better air conditioning, which is great. ”

Ki believes that, while Dellside is not without its flaws, none of its issues are results of its quick construction or temporary status. 

“I don’t think that that creates any problems. It doesn’t feel like a place that was rushed to be made, but the electricity is constantly going out, and there’s less space than in my previous dorm,” Ki said.

While Ki does not feel particularly in favor of Dellside, Tofe Akinyanmi ’23 voiced a very different opinion, saying that she has greatly enjoyed staying in the dorm. Akinyanmi credits her great experience in the dorm to its people and community atmosphere in addition to its architectural features. 

“We have Ms. McConney and Mrs. Taylor as dorm parents, which is already pretty awesome if you ask me. The location is pretty cool, even though we have to walk up the hill to get breakfast. The people are nice, so it’s a great community, and it’s been a fun time,” Akinyanmi said.

Dorm parent Laura McConney gave similar sentiments about her feelings on living in Dellside. 

“I don’t see any real differences, besides air conditioning, between Dellside and traditional, permanent dorms. I am actually really loving living in Dellside, personally, as I think the students are getting along great, and I really enjoy my own apartment,” McConney stated in an email.