In the words of former Hill history instructor Thomas Ruth, "The traditional sit-down meals at The Hill are remarkably productive. They are not just occasions for meals or coats and ties; they are learning experiences."
Constructed in 1914, the present Dining Room was the first distinguished accomplishment of The Hill's third headmaster, Dwight Meigs, grandson of our founder, the Reverend Matthew Meigs. The room captures the English Renaissance style with its dark oak walls and floors, intricate wood-carvings, and use of wrought iron detail.
With its linen tablecloths, rich draperies, high-back wooden chairs and long tables, and antique chandeliers, The Hill School's Dining Room creates a magnificent atmosphere appropriate for our time-honored seated meal tradition. A sense of shared history is forever present in The Dining Room, for when students eat they are surrounded by both inspirational paintings depicting heroic American images, original works of great American illustrator N.C. Wyeth, and the knowledge that generations of Hill students and faculty have dined together in similar fashion for more than 150 years.
All students are required to attend sit-down family-style meals together in The Dining Room for lunch, and boarding students attend seated dinners several nights a week. Faculty members and their families join the students in a relaxed, yet formal atmosphere, where they enjoy interaction with one another outside of the classroom.
During the seated lunch, when the entire Hill community is together, announcements are shared by student leaders and faculty and encouragement is given to sports teams before afternoon games. In keeping with The Hill tradition, all students are required to serve as student waiters at various times during their years at Hill. "Waiters" carry the serving dishes from the pantry to their table, where the food then is served by the faculty member seated at the head of the table.