Academic Resources
Whether it's meeting with a Writing Fellow, searching the extensive databases in the Ryan Library, or troubleshooting with the Help Desk, Hill School students have access to academic resources designed to help them succeed in the classroom and beyond.
Extra Help
A major advantage of attending a boarding school like Hill is the availability of faculty and their willingness to provide extra help to students. Faculty are available during Office Hours held twice per week during the academic day, and many teachers offer study sessions in the evenings. During evening study hall, students may also seek help from a peer tutor or department fellow, a student with experience helping other students in particular disciplines, including Classics, World Languages, and Math. Students may also seek critiques and assistance on any type of writing project from the Co-Directors of the Writing Center and Writing Fellows.
The John P. Ryan Library
The John P. Ryan Library is located on the Quad at the heart of The Hill School’s campus and is open to students every day for a total of 79.5 hours a week. With extensive digital assets and a friendly and knowledgeable Library staff, the Ryan Library connects students and faculty to the resources, research tools, and learning spaces that enrich academic life and encourage meaningful collaboration.
Our library subscribes to more than 50 web-based research databases, which are accessible to our students at any time on or off campus. While some are specialized for history, science, literature, and the arts, others provide access to hundreds of academic journals across all disciplines.
In addition to our research databases, Hill School students have access to the following:
- Several e-book collections for research and pleasure reading, along with our print collection
- Six digital newspapers including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal
- Streaming video services
- NoodleTools, a bibliography generator and notetaking tool
- Quiet areas for study and collaborative work
The Library is also home to the MakerSpace, a creative workspace open to all Hill students and faculty. Equipped with art supplies, a Cricut machine, a T‑shirt press, a large‑format printer, a 3‑D printer, and more, it’s a popular spot for class projects and independent work. Students may also use the space for personal or recreational projects.
Information and Technology Services
Our technical staff supports Hill's Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program; the high-speed network, HillNET; technologies like touchscreen displays, wireless projection, interactive white boards, video conferencing in all classrooms, and much more. They provide ongoing assistance to students and faculty throughout the year from their offices located on the first floor of the Library. The staff work with faculty members to find effective ways to integrate information and technology resources into classroom activities and can support a student throughout their research projects, from finding to presenting information.
Our aim is to help Hill students develop the ability to take a discerning, informed, and ethical approach to research and information management, while also supporting the development of critical skills in reading, writing, quantitative analysis, and oral communication.
Hill School Network (HillNET)
The Hill has high speed WIFI access in all dorms and academic buildings. Classrooms are equipped with state of the art interactive displays as well as cross-platform screen mirroring Vivi devices. All students have access to The Hill’s unique WavePrint service, which allows most devices, including iPads, to print to designated printers in all academic buildings and dormitories. Students receive a Hill email address and access to SharePoint for cloud-based sharing and storage of documents. They also have access to the cloud based Office 365 for word processing, video conferencing, creating presentations and spreadsheets, and more. Office 365 is compatible with Apple (phones, desktops and laptops, iPads), Windows devices, and Android phones and tablets.