Prior to this year, boarders were able to participate in off-campus club sports whilst still living on campus. As a result of campus wellness concerns, however, it is no longer an option to leave Hill for such activities and later that night return to campus. Some students have instead elected to continue their education remotely in order to remain a part of their club teams. 

Thanks to Hill’s purchase of Meeting Owls by Owl Labs, virtual students are able to have the experience of being in the classroom, despite being at home. This allowed student-athletes to decide the conditions of their return to Hill.

Gia Seravalli, a 6th former from Ivyland, Pa., is a student who has decided to remain home in order to participate with her ice hockey club, the Boston Junior Eagles. While being able to play with her club team certainly played a role in her decision, Seravalli also notes that there were other factors. She plans to remain virtual for the entirety of the fall term, as she will be rejoining the Hill girls ice hockey program this winter.

“I’ve been driving up to Massachusetts on the weekends, and I practice with my team. We play one or two games, and I drive home,” Seravalli said.

Club hockey is especially important for Servali, as she hopes to continue her athletic career at the collegiate level. She notes that she is very grateful for Hill’s adaptation to a difficult time so that she is able to continue doing what she loves. 

For international students who previously were part of local club teams, COVID-19 has been particularly exhausting.  Poppy Otten, a 6th former from Amsterdam, is one such student.

“I don’t really have a choice,” Otten said of her decision to return to campus. Without the ability to leave and return on a daily basis, Otten had no choice but to quit her club rugby team. This was particularly upsetting for her, since Hill does not yet have a rugby program for her to join. However, she knew this year would be difficult if she decided to learn remotely.

“I came prepared to adjust my desire to play rugby since I was aware that there was not a team here at Hill. But I’ll say this — the school before COVID-19 regulations was very accommodating in the sense that they were understanding with being off-campus and how I needed to get there,” Otten said.