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Grade 9: Understand

Feel inspiration

The grade 9 journey at Hilton College is about forming a healthy sense of self.

To discover who he really is, each boy must come to understand himself and those around him. The intentional series of experiences he’ll go through over the year help him strengthen the muscles of emotional intelligence he needs to get to know his inner landscape and develop empathy for his peers. In this way, he is moved to become the truest version of himself.

At this developmental stage, it's about growing confidence.

When left to their own devices, boys can tend to define themselves by pointing to perceived differences in others – ‘othering’ them as a form of pseudo-confidence. With our understanding of this dynamic as an age-appropriate search for identity, we work with care and thought to help every boy develop a strong sense of his uniqueness. With this in place, his need to have mastery over others reduces dramatically.

To inspire this mindset, we intentionally designed the buddy system.

We pair a grade 9 with a grade 8, who he’ll nurture and help to navigate the boarding environment. Over a week, each grade 9 will also work closely with another grade 8, to co-create a project out of a passion they share. It’s a collaborative opportunity for joint expression.

The world paints diversity as a grudge pursuit.

From great thinkers like Nelson Mandela, we know otherwise. Diversity isn’t just about tolerating others – it’s a strength. In grade 9 at Hilton, we learn to harness diversity to accomplish something beautiful and amazing. Every boy will start to find out who he is relative to others and gain new tools to work through this process productively. An understanding of oneself means respecting other ways of being without compromising on your principles.

The uBuntu camp is a four-night retreat held off-campus.

uBuntu creates a space for grade 9s to feel the inspiration of the unseen, to experience solitude, express their vulnerability by sharing their biggest personal challenges around a campfire – and learn to relate to others.

To stretch the boys, we expose them to a reading list of diverse and unfamiliar genres.

In immersing themselves in unknown human experiences, we challenge their ideas of who they are.

At this developmental stage, it's about growing confidence.

When left to their own devices, boys can tend to define themselves by pointing to perceived differences in others. What can happen is that grade 9s pick on grade 8s – ‘othering’ them as a form of pseudo-confidence. With our understanding of this dynamic as an age-appropriate search for identity, we work with care and thought to help every boy develop a strong sense of his uniqueness. With this in place, his need to have mastery over others reduces dramatically.

To inspire this mindset, we intentionally designed the buddy system.

We pair a grade 9 with a grade 8, who he’ll nurture and help to navigate the boarding environment. Over a week, each grade 9 will also work closely with another grade 8, to co-create a project out of a passion they share. It’s a collaborative opportunity for joint expression.

The world paints diversity as a grudge pursuit.

From great thinkers like Nelson Mandela, we know otherwise. Diversity isn’t just about tolerating others – it’s a strength. In grade 9 at Hilton, we learn to harness diversity to accomplish something beautiful and amazing. Every boy will start to find out who he is relative to others and gain new tools to work through this process productively. An understanding of oneself means respecting other ways of being without compromising on your principles.

The uBuntu camp is a four-night retreat held off-campus.

uBuntu creates a space for grade 9s to feel the inspiration of the unseen, to experience solitude, express their vulnerability by sharing their biggest personal challenges around a campfire – and learn to relate to others.

To stretch the boys, we expose them to a reading list of diverse and unfamiliar genres.

In immersing themselves in unknown human experiences, we challenge their ideas of who they are.

Grade 9 is when the boys go through psychometric testing to help them determine their subject choices for grade 10 to grade 12.

This is a motivating and engaging exercise that helps them understand their strengths and growth opportunities.

Programme

Experiences

Outdoor Leadership Experience

The boys spend a week as part of a team in the outdoors, learning about how best they can relate to others as individuals and orientating themselves as members of society and the world.

Collaborative Project

In Term 2 they will be doing another collaborative which requires each grade 9 boy to pair up with a grade 8 boy to identify an area of mutual interest and come up with ways that they could contribute to finding solutions to complex problems.

The second project week (Term 4) requires each grade 9 boy to pair up with a grade 8 boy to identify an area of mutual interest and come up with ways that they could contribute to finding solutions to complex problems.