Hillcrest School District

Mr. Maxwell’s classes have been hard at work learning about the parts of a microscope and how to properly use this essential scientific tool. These photos feature his 11th grade Anatomy and Physiology students collaborating as they explored microscope techniques and strengthened their laboratory skills. Hands-on learning and teamwork are helping our students build a strong foundation for future success in science!

Dr. Spurlock’s 9th grade English students explored rhetorical devices in persuasive speeches by examining real-world examples centered on school activities such as basketball, baseball, softball, and shooting sports. Through engaging discussions and analysis, students discovered how an author’s word choice, appeals, and supporting evidence can shape opinions and influence an audience. It’s great to see our students strengthening their critical thinking and communication skills through meaningful, real-world learning!

Mrs. Brannon's classes have been engaged in learning. This morning’s business intelligence class learned to decode 8 bit binary to develop our computational thinking skills and better understand input and output processing.

Check out what is happening in Mrs. Bre's. This week in Rooted in Nature, our Plant of the Week is the sunflower! Over the last two days, students have been learning all kinds of interesting facts about sunflowers. One fact that shocked us all was learning that young sunflowers move throughout the day to face the sun! ☀️ Today, they’re putting what they’ve learned into action by creating detailed 3D sunflower sculptures! I love seeing them learn about nature while also getting creative and working with their hands.

ATTENTION: Intramural sign up forms were sent home last week with 1st-6th graders. They need turned in by tomorrow In order to play.

Ms. Natalie’s students are starting school off with a fun watercolor activity! They learned that “We’re All Wonders” based on an adapted book inspired by the original 2012 bestselling novel Wonder, which was later adapted into the 2017 feature film Wonder.

The Positive Vibe Tribe held its' first meeting of the school year today. Several student heard a presentation from Officer Raina about how to handle stress and worry. Members also discussed different trips and events that will be happening throughout the year. Any interested high school students can see Officer Turner, Mrs. Marnie or Mr. Ben about joining the club.

Coach Isaacs’ 8th grade social studies students jumped right into learning as they reviewed early American history through student presentations. It’s always exciting to see students building their knowledge while strengthening their communication and presentation skills. Keep up the great work!

Mrs. Britton’s 8th grade students have been busy reviewing and extending their understanding of claims, counterclaims, and rebuttals! Through a collaborative poster rotation activity, students actively created, analyzed, and evaluated each component while building their critical thinking and writing skills. We love seeing our students engaged in meaningful, hands-on learning. Great job, everyone!

ATTENTION: Josten's will be on campus tommorow, August 11th, for ALL SENIORS to make cap&gown orders; also for 10th grade class ring and letterman jacket orders.

Attention parents/guardians: Please use the provided link to sign the student handbook for the 26/27 school year.

https://www.hillcrest.k12.ar.us/page/student-handbook

Support Hillcrest Beta Club while showing your Hillcrest Pride! Our apparel fundraiser is now open with something for everyone, including T-shirts, long sleeve T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, performance polos, performance quarter-zip pullovers, and fleece full-zip jackets. Items are available in Grey, Black, and Charcoal, with youth and adult sizes available on select styles. Every purchase helps support Hillcrest Beta Club students through leadership opportunities, community service, competitions, and chapter activities. Shop online here: https://stores.rawkimprinting.com/HSD/shop/home

Congratulations to the Hillcrest High School Beta Club on being recognized as a 2025–2026 National Beta School of Merit! This prestigious recognition honors the club’s dedication to academic excellence and its commitment to including students from all eligible grade levels. We are incredibly proud of our Beta members and sponsors for this outstanding achievement! (National Beta Club) Learn more about how Hillcrest High School earned this recognition by clicking the link below: https://www.betaclub.org/schoolofmerit2026/?mc_cid=60004052df&mc_eid=dcf2d5fb5e

What a wonderful first day of school! We loved seeing all of the smiling faces as we kicked off another exciting school year. Thank you to our students, families, and staff for making the first day such a success! Here are a few class photos from the high school’s first day back. We can’t wait to see all the amazing things this year has in store!

Just a reminder about stuff the bus happening this weekend. We will have a bus set up at the Strawberry intersection.

Open house is tomorrow night. We hope to see you there.

Hillcrest Athletic Physicals: Hillcrest Athletic Physicals for boys and girls entering grades 7–12 will be held on TODAY, July 27, from 5:00–7:00 PM at the Lynn Gymnasium. All boys and girls planning to participate in basketball, baseball, softball, track, cross country, or golf are required to have a current athletic physical before they can participate during the school year. These physicals are FREE and mandatory. Physical packets will be available this week in the Hillcrest High School office. A parent or guardian must complete and sign the medical history form before a physical can be performed. Forms will be available the day of the physicals for parents/athletes as well. If you choose not to attend the school physicals, your student-athlete must obtain a physical from their personal physician. A copy of the completed physical form must be turned in to the school before the student is allowed to participate in athletics. We encourage all student-athletes to take advantage of this free opportunity and complete their required physical before the start of the school year.

The Hillcrest School District will host Open House on Thursday, July 30, from 5:00–7:00 PM. We look forward to welcoming our students and families as we kick off a great school year. We can’t wait to see you there!

The Hillcrest School District will host our annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive on Saturday, August 1! Thank you for your continued generosity and support of our students. We appreciate our wonderful community!