There are many different and new aspects to enjoy at Hillcrest High School with the new building. The new seating areas in the hallways, the auditorium, the Community Hub, and Student Support Center.

The Student Support Center is designed to help students with needs other than academic achievement. Within the “Hub,” students can find a pantry filled with non-perishable food items, as well as clothing items such as gym clothes and shoes. Shelves are filled to the brim with school supplies and washing and drying machines with detergents for drying clothes. Also available are hygiene items, including toothbrushes, deodorants, shampoo, and period products. 

The Community Hub isn’t something new at Hillcrest, but the new showers and the laundry facilities are an addition to it. Students can come early in the morning or after school to take showers and wash clothes if they can’t do it at home. This is a relatively new aspect within Canyons District, as many other schools with Community Hubs don’t have showers.

“The vision was to provide the community with the things that they needed and to support them,” said Juan Perez Del Valle, the Community School Facilitator. “In terms of their education [the students] are getting support from teachers, but there are sometimes aspects of their lives that are not being attended to, so we are here to provide for both.”

Mr. Perez works to help students, families, and the community around Hillcrest. In addition, he works closely with staff members and students to help them graduate and succeed in life. 

There are many people around the school helping students and the Community Hub. There are translators for languages such as Portuguese, Swahili, Farsi, Spanish, French, and Kinyarwanda, ELL teachers, people who help with credit recovery, and donors for the Community Hub to help refugees and people around Midvale. 

PTA is involved with donations regarding coats. Melanie Nielson provides hoodies and granola bars from her neighborhood to give to the Community Hub. The Local Bee, a program that helps migrants, provided the Hub with shoes. 

“Everything that we have accomplished here is a community effort. Everyone came together, wards, churches, and provided us with donations,” Mr. Perez said.

Many events have also taken place to help students and families and the community overall. Things like the 9/11 Worldwide Day of Service and the Thanksgiving Heroes program took place at Hillcrest with the help of LIA (Latinos in Action) and the SBO’s (Student Body Officers) to help promote friendliness and a sense of community at Hillcrest.

With the arrival of the new school and the new Community Hub, there is always a way to get help at Hillcrest.

“We can help them map [the students’] future,” Mr. Perez said, “This is doable. Maybe you don’t see your future right now… We are here to let them know that they can achieve anything they can set their mind to. It’s like a domino effect. You attend school, and you pay attention and do your work, and you do your part; everything’s going to fall in place.”

Hours for the Community Hub:

Monday-Friday: 

7:00 a.m-8:00 a.m. for walk-ins

8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. by appointment

2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. for walk-ins

Saturday:

7:00 a.m.-Noon open by appointment