Area students commence from Hilltop

SPARTA — It was a momentous occasion for the Hilltop Class of 2017 on Friday, June 9, as they became the 36th eighth-grade class to graduate and become Hilltop alumni.
More than 100 people gathered on the campus to cheer and celebrate as the Class of 2017 received their diplomas and set forth to begin a new chapter of their lives at their respective high schools.
While the graduates celebrated their accomplishments, they also received sound advice from alumna Alexandra Sipols ’13, who shared her experiences and wisdom through her inspiring commencement address.
“A big part of high school is studying, but relationships with friends and faculty are what will form the foundation of your high school career, as it has for the past years at Hilltop,” Sipols said. “The small class sizes here have shown you how to truly get to know a person and how to take advantage of all the help and one-on-one time teachers offer, so that you can take full advantage of the same opportunities that will be presented to you all in high school.”
In addition to Sipols’ speech, the graduates reflected on their own experiences, received a variety of academic awards and received well wishes from the faculty and Head of School Peter Gordon.
“Hilltop has helped me develop experience, responsibility, and leadership, and I’ve made a lot of lasting friendships from here,” said graduate Jessica Wilm, who will be attending Blair Academy in the fall.
“Hilltop encouraged me to be creative. This school helped me to recognize the things that I’m passionate about and appreciate the individual and unique characteristics in me. Hilltop has a welcoming and family-like environment, and it helped me feel comfortable to grow to my potential as a student and person, and I will take the skills and experiences with me into my future.”
Chloe Clancy, Jessica Wilm and Corrine Wilm were honored with the Perfect Attendance Award, Annele Sipols received the Technology Award, and Corrine Wilm received the Vocal Music Award and the Math Award. The Instrumental Music Award and Science Award were presented to Chloe Clancy, the Art Award to Heather Maxwell, and the English Award to Jessica Wilm.
Allyn Perry, chair of the Chinkhewunska Chapter of The Daughter’s of the American Revolution, was on hand to present two special awards sponsored by the DAR. Samuel Wilshinsky was honored with the Excellence in American History Award and Corrine Wilm received the Citizenship Award for exemplifying dependability, leadership, and service.
Sisters Jessica and Corrine Wilm were honored with the Academic Excellence Award and Chloe Clancy received the Thomas E. Clancy Memorial Award named in honor of her late father. Established in 2011, the Thomas E. Clancy Memorial Award is given to an eighth grader who over their years at Hilltop developed and showed the skills necessary to initiate and take action to make an idea or project happen, someone who has been motivated to make a positive change at Hilltop or in the community, and has accepted a personal challenge to lead and inspire others.
Two additional awards were bestowed on non-eighth graders: the Hawk Spirit Award was presented to Fifth Grader Antonio Puopolo for best exemplifying outstanding school spirit and consistently demonstrating the qualities of friendship, cooperation and genuine excitement for Hilltop. The Core Values Award was presented to Fifth Grader Andrew Antunes for possessing the qualities of honesty, respect, responsibility, and kindness- Hilltop’s Core Calues. The recipient of this award has consistently displayed these core values each day and threaded them throughout their interactions with their peers and faculty alike. In addition, the recipient has made significant contributions to bettering the Hilltop Community and has exhibited excellent citizenship at Hilltop.