HILLCREST HIGH SCHOOL
School in Hillcrest

Hillcrest High School has served the local community since We strive to develop academic, cultural and sporting excellence in all our students and to provide a holistic and caring environment that encourages respect for individual, spiritual and social values. At Hillcrest High School your child is offered the opportunity to reach his/her full potential in a disciplined, progressive and stimulating environment. High academic expectations are placed on our students. Their work is continuously evaluated throughout the year. A broad extra-curricular programme is offered and all students are required to participate in at least two activities per year. A caring school environment ensures that students are happy and can find their niche in a large school. Hillcrest High School has its origins at Hillcrest Primary School where, for two years, Grade 8 and 9 classes were accommodated. The founding principal, Mr Clive Talbot, served the school for a year before being promoted to Head Office. Under the enthusiastic and visionary guidance of Mr Talbot and his successors, Messrs Phillip Hawkins, Malcolm Garrett, Gerald Delport and Craig Girvin, the school has advanced in leaps and bounds. Today with a student population of 1 100, an academic staff of 65, and the support of many ancillary staff, Hillcrest High enjoys a fine reputation in academics, sport, service and cultural activities. The book in the badge speaks for itself; the wildebeest formed part of the old Natal coat-of-arms; and the stone wall symbolises a wall built long ago by the Gillitt family to mark the boundary of their land which, at that time, included most of the village of Hillcrest. It is an extremely long dry-stacked stone wall, much of which still exists today and forms a prominent feature of the region. It was felt that the badge needed to be more relevant to the era in which we find ourselves. To the original badge were added the silver leaves of the tree Cussonia spicata (the kiepersol or cabbage tree) which is indigenous to the area. The badge is crowned with the brown-hooded kingfisher, also indigenous to the area, and part of Hillcrest's coat of arms.