SPORTS & CULTURE

SPORTS

 

Hockey

Hockey season is during the second term. Both boys and girls take part in hockey, with colts and fillies being the U11 boys and girls respectively and the 11 and above boys and girls form the senior teams. Pupils are taken through their paces by competent staff and coaches, shaping each and every aspect of their game from ball control, dribbling, shooting and overall team play.

 

Cricket

Cricket is played in the first and third term. Cricket being a technical sport, requires more time to master and apply the necessary skills. The school timetable is set up to avail that much time for the boys to improve their skills and overall game play. Competitions with other schools enhances what has been learn.

 

Netball

Netball teams include the girl’s fillies and senior teams. It is played during the second term as a second sport for the girls. The coaches take the girls through the various drills required to perfect their attack, defence, speed and accuracy. The netballs teams face several teams during competitions and have been performing quite well.

 

Rugby

Rugby season is during the second term. The boys are drilled by a competent staff, preparing a team set to be dominant in its matches and competions. The focus is on developing boys who can adapt to the game, play it at a good tempo and compete against any opposition presented to them. The teams include the colts team (U11) and the senior boys (11and above).

 

Tennis

Most ATS schools offer tennis for girls only. But Hillcrest has gone a further step by having a boys tennis club. Basic skills are taught at an early stage of school and further nurtured to produce allround tennis players, capable to stand their own against formidable opponents. 

 

Crosscountry 

Interhouse crosscountry competitions take place during the first term. The event is run in three age groups: juniors, middle group and seniors. Some children also take part in national events like the Vumba Marathon and the TangandaTea Marathon. We continuously groom our athletes to participate at the highest level.

 

Swimming

Swimming is not only a sport at Hillcrest Prep but also a necessary lifeskill learned by every pupil who comes through our gates. We start teaching the children to swim at ECD level. Once they reach Grade 3 they can join the swimming team and compete in galas against other schools and in Manicaland League galas which make them eligible for provincial selection.

CULTURE

 

Arts & Craft

Each class goes to the Art and Craft room for a 1hour lesson every week. They are taught to express themselves and their thoughts through artistic designs, be it models, paintings or drawings. Pupils enjoy the Art and Craft periods and are at ease mixing colors and getting their hands literally dirty in design! The school attends various competitions and shows, showcasing the pupil’s creations. These include the Manicaland Annual Show and the Annual Cultural Art Festival.
 

 

Drama

Our drama club is not just teaching children to recite words in a play, but is about learning all the different aspects involved in putting on a stage performance. No matter how big or small the production is, be it our end of year performance or our weekly class productions for assembly, we try to encourage every student to participate, whilst having fun.

 

Music

Every class form the ECD to Grade 7 come for a half hour lesson each week. The children are taught to sing (or make a joyful noise, and sometimes there is a lot of noise!) a wide variety of songs, to get a broader appreciation of music theory regarding note values, dynamics, symbols, time signatures, etc. as these form part of the Grade 7 General Paper. From Grade 3, each child is given an exercise book in which they write down the songs, theory and general knowledge. These books are unlike their usual class books in that they are free to decorate and colour around their work. Hopefully this will help the children to enjoy all kinds of music, not just during their time at school but long into adulthood where they can one day recall and share some of these songs with their own children.