A group of people; artists, scientists, athletes, philosophers; together, journeyed into a small house in Dutch Village. Each was different. Every single one of them carried a different dream, came from different places, took different classes, but they all shared one pursuit universal to all, to all readers of this article, and to all human beings alike.

Everyone would sit on couches, eat cookies, drink cider. They all were located in one place –  the Hill School- but their hearts and dreams belong to the sky and the universe. They would talk about the utopian visions from the Republic and the Way of the Universe from the Tao-Te-Ching; they would talk about the start of universe from the Big Bang Theory and Wave-Particle Duality in Quantum Physics; they would also talk about the love of humanity and the bond between each and every single of us  enjoy. Many topics were covered; there seemed to be no limit but that of the mind to what people would talk about in the Symposium, whether that is science, literature, philosophy or history.

The Symposium was many things. Some say it is the embodiment of intellectualism at Hill for its engaging discussions; some say it is the pinnacle of student-faculty relationship; some say it is the humanity of love. It was all of those things.

We are the Hill School, the family boarding school. This was and still is the dream of our school and represents who we are. We will not leave this name in vain. At the Symposium, everyone belongs. We are animals of knowledge and love: the love for the school, the love for the each other, the love for family, and the love for teachers and those who guide us through the darkest moments of our lives. The Symposium was and still will be not only a place where people come to share their stories, but a place where humanity shined, where people embrace knowledge for the joy it brings, where teachers and students dwell under the same roof.

This is a dream, carried by Dr. Garrettson and Dr. McGrath, and now it is up to us to fulfill this dream. This dream belongs to every single one of us no matter where we are from or who we are. We will reinvigorate the Socratic Symposium at Hill. There will be multiple faculty advisors who all will help our school and our community to move forwards. The future, filled with challenges and obstacles, is ahead of us with light, and we shall walk ahead, with brotherly love that unites us all.

“Camerado, I give you my hand!

I give you my love more precious than money,

I give you myself before preaching or law;

Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me?

Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?” – Walt Whitman