Potential,
Realized A teacher, alumnus and the family of a current student reflect on the impact of educational nonprofit The Hill Center B Y H O L LY W E ST
PHOTO GR A PHY BY BR IA NA BROUGH
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PROGRAM THAT STARTED IN A LITTLE YELLOW house 40 years ago is now the go-to resource for Triangle families whose children struggle academically. When it opened in 1977, The Hill Center was a facet of Durham Academy (DA). In 1980, the center was dedicated to founder George Watts Hill and changed its name from the Hill Learning Development Center to The Hill Center. The center now operates as a nonprofit with its own board of directors, but is still affiliated with DA. Its students in grades kindergarten through 12 come from a variety of public and private “base schools” – the schools students attend when they’re not at the center. Many are also homeschooled. In addition to the regular school year program, in which students spend either the morning or the afternoon at the center, it offers summer programs, tutoring and teacher training.
Recipe for success
Lifelong Durham resident Louise Rollins is a proud member of the Little Yellow House Club – a small group of educators at the center who taught in the original building. 1 24
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