| Hillbourne News |
| Hillbourne gets new sofa for waiting room May 27, 2002: In an unprecedented splurge of new spending, Eric purchased a new sofa for the waiting room at Hillbourne. While some more skeptical students proclaimed it was for Eric's naps, others reveled in the soft green imitation leather and enjoyed reading magazines. In general, the reviews have been favorable. |
| Hillbourne Enrollment Nears 100 Student Mark May 13, 2001: Enrollment at Hillbourne is set to break the 100 student mark sometime in the near future, prompting rumors of a possible expansion of the school. This in turn sent Hillbourne stocks on a roller-coaster ride in heavy trading, with 4 shares changing hands. Rumors abounded that Eric was seen examining rental space in Kawajiri, Ogitsu, Hitachi, and Hitachi-Taga. When asked for a comment, Eric said; "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." When asked for clarification, Eric expounded "I like chocolate." Bewildered reporters then fled the scene, as Eric went to 7-11. |
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| The new green sofa from the waiting room. along with a tasteful selection of magazines. |
| Hillbourne Gets New Flooring! July 4, 2002: Eric splurges into buying a new cushion flooring to cover the horribly scarred tiles that were hiding under the old stained carpet. He put it in himself, so there are a few gaps here and there, but nobody is perfect! Also it is a lot easier to keep clean! |
| Hillbourne Robbed! October 15, 2002: As I walked into the office that morning, I noticed that my desk was a little messier than usual... Then I noticed the window behind the coffee maker was broken! Oh No! I had been robbed! Luckily I don't keep money or valuables in the school, so I didn't loose too much... except my sense of security. And my apologies to the students whose classes were cancelled as a result of the police investigation during their lesson times. |
| Another Great Year! December 18, 2003: Well, another great year here at Hillbourne! Student numbers have remained steady, and the classes are doing wonderfully! One of my most enjoyable moments is watching when one of the new students suddenly grasps the idea of phonics and reads a word! It is truly wonderful to see their faces when they realize they can read! I love my job! Thanks to you, my students! |
| Spring Has Come! May 17, 2004: Ahhh, the smell of flowers outside, a bit of fog rolling in from the ocean, you can tell that it is springtime in Takahagi again! And I am happy to report that Hillbourne is stronger than ever. The Kindergarten students have moved up to the Elementary textbooks and are doing wonderfully! And the adult classes are moving ahead nicely. All in all, a very satisfying time for the school. |
| Two Years.... April 4, 2006: I can hardly believe it has been two years since I updated this news page! Sorry! Not that there hasn't been any news. The school is doing better than ever, with even more materials in the lobby for students to borrow and study from. Of course there are a lot of class changes in April, but that happens every year. Now things are starting to settle down again, and we are looking forward to another fabulous year of learning English. |
| 2007- Student Computers March 18, 2007: Well, I am happy to announce that I have refurbished two computers for student use- one, my old 9 year old IBM Aptiva now running Ubuntu Linux, the other my 7 year old Fujitsu Biblo notebook. Both have new hard drives, and internet access. So if you need to check your e-mail, or look up something on Wikipedia while you are waiting for class feel free to use them! |
| 2008 - The Busy Season April 1, 2008: It sure does get busy around the last week of March and first few weeks of April. Lots and lots of new students coming in, and sadly, old students who have to drop out- Many moving away, or starting Junior High and the club activities. Ah well. But things are settling down and the new schedule is looking nice. A few open hours here and there for naps! |