In the spring of 1971, my grandfather moved my mom and their family from Woodridge, a suburb of Chicago, to Dallas to begin a career with a stock brokerage firm. He was trading brutal winds and winters for Texas summers to make a better life for the people he loved most.
His new job offer and advancing career were products of hard work and a strong education, and he told the Ebby Halliday Realtor he was working with that he wanted his three daughters in the best public school system he could afford.
Soon, the Stitziel family was unpacking their belongings in a ranch-style house in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of North Dallas. The agent had assured my grandfather that “the best [high school] in DISD” was less than five miles away.
Troubled Times at Hillcrest High
My mom, Janice Stitziel Bloom, first walked through Hillcrest’s doors as a sophomore in the fall of 1973. It was a tense year for America ― Washington was embroiled in Watergate, and after years of demonstrations and protest, the end of the Vietnam War was near.
Cultural shifts weren’t confined to big cities on the east and west coasts. DISD, Hillcrest, and its feeder schools experienced rapid change like the rest of the country: desegregation, busing, and the redrawing of district maps to accommodate newly opened schools for the families that flocked to Dallas.
As Dallas and its suburbs continued to grow, so did the options for education. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the emerging plethora of private schools played a significant role in the decline in enrollment at Hillcrest.
It wasn’t long before assumptions and misinformation about public education began to spread, leading many to fear and stigmatize high schools like the one where my mother once thrived.
Rebuilding And Better Than Ever
Only in recent years has the Hillcrest student enrollment begun to climb again, and for good reason. The school, which now serves students in Preston Hollow, Vickery Meadow, University Meadows, and Addison, offers a variety of Advanced Placement classes and is also a fully authorized International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
The school has also expanded its STEM offerings considerably. The Academy of Engineering, a four-year program that has an enrollment of nearly 200, gives students a head-start to explore advanced and complex engineering concepts. Hillcrest also introduced the Academy of Health Science, which prepares students for the collegiate pre-med track.
The enhancement of Hillcrest has been made possible in part by the promotional efforts of the Hillcrest High School Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 2014 that provides financial support and services to Hillcrest High School and the community it serves.
The organization was founded by and is still made up of committed students, parents, alumni, administrators, and community supporters, all of whom are guided by one core vision: “[t]o make Hillcrest High School the school of choice for community-minded people committed to supporting public education.”
The administration has been extraordinarily grateful for the foundation’s support.
“The Hillcrest Community Foundation has made a significant impact on the positive culture and beautification of Hillcrest,” said Hillcrest High School principal TJ Florie.
“The foundation has just been something we can really depend on,” Hillcrest community liaison Lisa Smith said, “They’re there every day, ready to run up to the school if we need them to, filling in gaps. They’ve just become our guardian angels and really look out for us.”
An Extraordinary Legacy ― That You Can Be a Part Of
My mom has never forgotten the opportunities, both academic and extracurricular, that Hillcrest offered her nearly 50 years ago. It is because of this appreciation that she now serves on the foundation’s Board of Directors.
You too can support Hillcrest’s continuous impact on students’ lives in multiple ways. To make a donation, grab your Panther Pride yard sign, volunteer, inquire about ways to partner with the foundation, or simply for more information, please go to hhscf.org or pick up your smartphone and scan:
Janice Bloom, along with the rest of the Hillcrest community, welcomes your support: “We are grateful for Panther pride and look forward to hearing from you and growing our community!”
