Headmaster and Mrs. Dougherty enjoy a seated meal with students in the Dining Room
"Sit-down meals maintain the traditions. Chapel sermons, for example, may be inspired in the dining room. The Dining Room, where students eat with their teachers and peers, sometimes is a better (classroom) than the classrooms, dormitories, and athletic fields." Tom Ruth, faculty emeritus
Seated meals in The Dining Room place an emphasis on our family setting and reinforce students' manners. Students are assigned to new tables each term for seated meals so they interact with different people and form new friendships.
It is a tradition that all varsity sports teams, as well as theater and chorus groups currently practicing together, sit together in the Dining Room to further "bond" during their session or season.
Birthdays are celebrated in a unique manner in the Dining Room. The other students at the table stand on their chairs and sing "Happy Birthday" to the student celebrating his or her birthday, or the student whose birthday is being marked is asked to stand on his or her chair while he or she is serenaded.
Halloween is celebrated on campus as students are encouraged to wear costumes to dinner in The Dining Room in place of the customary academic dress. A parade precedes dinner and prizes are awarded for creative costumes. In addition, students celebrate other holidays in the Dining Room, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other special occasions throughout the year. One of the favorite holiday meals celebrated at Hill is the annual Christmas Dinner. Held just before students embark on winter break, students and faculty gather for a special family-style dinner. According to Laura Kendrick '11, this dinner is her favorite Hill meal because it's "made with love!"