"Hey Hills..."
2nd Edition
Hey Hills Foreword:
A long time ago, I wrote a blog called 'Hey Hills.' Members of the Portledge community would ask me questions about myself or Portledge, and as long as they weren't too personal, I would answer them to the best of my ability. We’ve decided to rekindle this process as part of the new Portledge Press. So, in each issue, I’ll answer a few of the questions that have been submitted.. If I don’t get to your question—don’t worry—I’ll probably get to it in a later issue. If something else comes up in your mind, feel free to ask another question…….so here it goes.
- Phillip Hills
So, I’ve been receiving many interesting questions from students and faculty, and I think I’ve picked two interesting ones to answer…….The first question I chose came with a prompt…..
First Question:
Hey Hills ... It’s widely known that had there been no Revolution, you would be in line for the Russian throne. So, if you became Czar of Russia, what is the first thing you would do?
Well, that's a loaded question because Russia is currently at war, and even though I come from a military family, I hate war. Thus, the first thing I would do is pull the Russian troops out of Ukraine and start negotiating a long-term solution to the issues that exist between the two nations. This would not be easy though, because the history and culture of Russia and Ukraine are closely linked, and finding a compromise between Russian and Ukrainian views would be complicated. Once the war had been stopped, however, I would make a law that all work would stop @ 4:00 PM every day, and employers must provide fresh caviar and refreshments for their workers to enjoy during a company social hour.
…The second question I chose is a bit more personal but still appropriate and I believe the answer is enlightening….
Second Question:
Hey Hills ... Who is your favorite faculty member at Portledge and why?
The answer to this question is that I have four favorite faculty members. However, none of them still work at Portledge. During my early days as a teacher and coach, I was fortunate to have been guided by four people who all loved the school very much. The first was Huson Gregory, who was the Head of School when I started at Portledge. The second is David Hoyler, who was Head of the Middle and Upper School at the same time Mr. Gregory was Head of School. The other two there were longtime Director of Athletics Curt Sawyer and former English Department Chair John McIlvain. These four individuals took the time to mentor a young educator, each teaching me many lessons along the way. There is no way I would’ve had such a long career without their tutelage and support during my early years. I encourage everyone to think about who they respect and admire, either at school or not, and take advantage of their presence and time because they will not be around forever. I dedicate this Hey Hills answer to the memory of John McIlvain / Teacher and Trustee at the Portledge School.