Hillcrest International School

Hillcrest International School (HIS) is a Christian K-12 educational institution that primarily serves the international community (there are local Indonesian students also) in and around Papua, Indonesia. The student population of the school currently numbers around 190 students, approximately 80 of whom are in the high school alone. The school is a member of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and offers a standard US curriculum-based course of study. Each day has eight periods and goes for seven and a half hours, starting at 7:30am and ending at 3:00pm. The school also has a wide variety of extra curricular sporting and musical programs.

Outdoor Education

One of the school's trademark activities is a program known as Outdoor Education (OE). During the second semester (around January and February), the entire high school student body and a number of the faculty travel to a remote location somewhere in Papua. For two weeks the students and faculty serve the local people of the area by doing community service projects, hosting kids' clubs, doing community development projects, running HIV/AIDS awareness seminars, and leading worship services in local churches. The students sometimes live with the people in their traditional homes. In addition, the students are encouraged to interact with the local people and learn about their culture, history, and society. Upon their return to HIS, each student writes an anthropology paper and a journal based upon their notes and their experiences during the two weeks. Students at HIS have to complete a photo journalism project as a group as well.

Languages

Although it promotes an English-based curriculum, HIS encourages students to learn the local language of Indonesian and also offers foreign language learning opportunities as well (such as Korean, Spanish & French). All students must know English well enough to communicate with the teachers and complete assigned coursework, textbook reading, and class assignments. Enrollment acceptance is based on English ability, so fluency in English is very important, especially at the high school level. ESL classes are offered in grades 1 through 8 to provide additional English language support.

Technology at HIS

There are several computer labs for students, teachers, and campus residents to use. Broadband Internet is available through a VSAT satellite connection. The computers and network are maintained by a team of nationals and expats.

Teachers at HIS

The school is staffed by people from all over the world who come together to serve the local community by teaching their children. There are always employment opportunities at the school due to the nature of the work and the location. There is a fairly high turnover of staff for various reasons, but there is also a strong contingent of long term staff that have served the school for upwards of 20 years each. HIS has teachers from the USA, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia, Germany, South Africa, England, The Netherlands, Ireland, and other countries.

Students at HIS

The students at HIS are made up of ex-pat children (about 80 - 85%) as well as local Indonesians (about 15 - 20%) who want to be educated at an English speaking school. The students come from all over the globe and are educated in a diverse, multicultural environment.

External links

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