From the Division Head

The best part of my day as upper school principal is visiting classrooms, talking with students and observing the interaction between teachers and students. Coming away from these experiences, I am always reminded of how special our learning community is.

Because I know firsthand what a great place Pembroke Hill is, I extend you a personal invitation to visit our school. Let me tell you why I think Pembroke Hill is a truly special school and one that you should consider.

We are a school committed to developing character, pursuing excellence and creating a caring community. Students of all talents and interests are welcomed, and their achievements are supported and celebrated. We offer small classes – one teacher for every 11 students - which allows every student to be engaged in each project, each discussion. When I am in classrooms, I am impressed with the thought-provoking, respectful and lively discussions with everyone contributing.

Our school has extraordinary results. Sixteen seniors, in a class of 101 students, received recognition a few weeks ago from National Merit. This is the highest percentage in either Kansas or Missouri except for one school in St. Louis! Last spring, our students earned 68 Scholastic Art Awards, and one senior was a Presidential Scholar in the arts. PHS sports teams are competitive and in recent years have advanced to state level play in baseball, soccer (boys and girls), tennis (boys and girls), dance, golf (boys and girls), lacrosse, cross country (boys and girls) and swimming (boys and girls).

Our extensive extracurricular program offers 22 sports and 26 clubs. Nearly 85 percent of upper school students play an interscholastic sport! Here, you can be on a team, act in the musical or be a club officer. In fact, we expect students to be active in school life outside of the classroom because it is important to their development. We also believe involvement by many means a vibrant environment for all.

College counseling begins in the junior year when students meet privately with one of four college counselors. Our graduates attend a wide variety of schools from small liberal arts colleges to Ivy League colleges to state universities where they tell us they feel better prepared than many of their peers.

I believe that these results are, in part, due to the fact that we work hard . . . every day. Our students come ready to learn, and our teachers come prepared to teach. Greatness is achieved through daily effort.

All of this combined makes Pembroke Hill a very special school.

I invite you to set up a time to visit our school by contacting Bart Robertson, assistant director of admissions, 816-936-1536 or . I will be looking for you and hope to meet you then.

Sincerely,

Mike Hill
Upper School Principal