Hillcrest Christian College is an independent Christian school located in Reedy Creek, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The medium-size, co-educational, Christian school has approximately 1390 students enrolled in each semester with students ranging from Pre-Prep to Year 12. There is also an on-campus Kindy and Outside School Hours Care. Hillcrest Christian College is a member of the CSA, which defines the school as a locally governed and not-for-profit organisation.
History
Hillcrest Christian College was opened by Reedy Creek Baptist Church in 1982. Starting with just 37 students from years 1–7 the school operated on the Church grounds before upgrading to Reedy Creek in 1986. The school has had four principals since its opening:
Andrew Mackie : 1982–1990
Stuarte Kerdel: 1991–2001
Keith Francis: 2002–2014
Jeff Davis: 2015–
Complaints of bullying
In November 2019, the school was the subject of an investigation by A Current Affair, after matters were brought to light about the principal, Jeff Davis. A petition with 250 signatures called for his removal. It was claimed that the principal rules through fear and intimidation. Complaints about the issues raised were lodged with the Non State Schools Accreditation Board, and police confirmed they are investigating. There was another issue raised of financial irregularities with a reading program. Ongoing problems at the school have also been reported by The Courier Mail.
Academia
NAPLAN Results
Hillcrest Christian College has a reputation for students performing well above State and National benchmarks in the Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 NAPLAN tests. Year 3 2013 results indicate that:
100% of Year 3 students achieved above the State and National average for numeracy, grammar, reading, spelling and writing.
Year 5 2013 results indicate that:
97.1% of Year 5 students achieved above the State and National average for numeracy, grammar, reading and writing.
94.2% of student achieved above the State and National average for spelling.
Year 7 2013 results indicate that:
98.6% of Year 7 students achieved above the State and National average for reading.
97.3% of Year 7 students achieved above the State and National average for grammar, spelling and writing.
97.2% of Year 7 students achieved above the State and National average for numeracy.
Year 9 2013 results indicate that:
98% of Year 9 students achieved above the State and National average for numeracy, reading and writing.
97.1% of Year 9 students achieved above the State and National average for grammar.
96.1% of Year 9 students achieved above the State and National average for spelling.
98% of students in the 2013 cohort who applied for entrance to a university received an offer of place
71% of eligible students received an OP between 1 and 15
Partnerships with universities
Hillcrest Christian College has partnerships with Griffith University and Bond University. In 2013, 32% of Year 12 graduates completed vocational studies while in Year 12. In addition, five scholarships and guaranteed entries were awarded to students in 2013 to these universities.
Gifted & Talented
Hillcrest Christian College offers a Gifted & Talented program to cater for students who have been identified as significantly more advanced academically than their age group.
Technology
Hillcrest Christian College include students in years 5–6 to Bring Your Own Device to school. For years 7–12 Hillcrest Christian College provides students with Surface Books 2's through the One2One program. The school aims to provide quality digital education as technology becomes more advanced.
International
International enrolments make up 6% of the total student population at Hillcrest Christian College. The school implemented its International Student Program in 1996 and teaches English as a Second Language to students currently speaking:
Hillcrest Christian College provides a range of sporting activities to all students including:
Physical Education
Aquatics Program
Interschool Sport
Outside School Hours Sport
Interhouse Carnivals
Hillcrest run a very successful Basketball Excellence Program, which culminated in a 2016 senior boys state championship and a third-place finish in the national championships. The College also claimed the 2019 Junior Female AFL Schools Cup State Championship, coached by 251-game former AFL player Matthew Lappin.
Arts (HCC)
Hillcrest Christian College offers an array of options for students wanting to pursue performing arts including:
Dance Academy
Drama
Choral Program
Choral Excellence Program
College Musical
Instrumental
Student Leadership
Hillcrest Christian College has a leadership team for Early Years, Middle Years and Senior Years. The senior team is chosen after the Year 11 Personal Development Program and Leadership Camp. The team consists of:
College Captains
College Vice Captains
Prefects
House Captains
International Student Captains
Additionally, two students from each year level are chosen to represent their peers in the Student Representative Council.
House system
Hillcrest Christian College has four houses that each student represents in the swimming, cross country and athletics carnival. Each house is named after a Christian missionary throughout history.
Carmichael (Red)
was a Protestant Christian missionary in India who opened an orphanage and founded a mission in Dohnavur. She worked mostly with young ladies, some of whom were saved from forced prostitution and written and produced thirty-five published books.
Flynn (Blue)
John Flynn was an Australian Presbyterian minister who founded the Royal Flying Doctor Service. After studying to at Ormond College in Melbourne, he was made the first superintendent of the Australian Inland Mission. Flynn quickly established the need for medical care for those living in the Australian outback and opened a number of hospitals in the bush.
Greene (Green)
Betty Greene used her love for flying for Christian mission work after serving with the Women Air Force Service in World War II. She served for 16 years in 12 different countries until her death in 1997.
Taylor (Yellow)
was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission. During his 51 years in China he was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to China who opened 125 schools. Taylor was able to preach in several varieties of Chinese, including Mandarin, Chaozhou and the Wu dialects of Shanghai and Ningbo. He used these talents to prepare a written edition of the New Testament.
