School History

The gorilla is our mascot, chosen to honor Colossus, a gorilla who resided at Benson's Wild Animal Farm for many years. Benson's Park, formerly the Wild Animal Farm, continues to provide enriching experiences and outdoor adventures for our third grade students as a featured stop on their “Tour of Hudson.” We feel fortunate to have a special connection with this place through our mascot.

Our school building was designed with student learning in mind. Classroom spaces are flexible, allowing teachers to maximize the learning experiences and activities they conduct with students. Team areas provide a place for guest speakers, presentations, and grade level celebrations. The gymnasium offers students an excellent place to learn about fitness, wellness, and sportsmanship. Our media center provides children with an inviting place to explore all that reading makes possible, and our two technology labs provide us with the means to help students develop computer literacy. Mobile computer labs are available for classroom use as well. Hands on, engaging art lessons take place in our art room, and our music room/stage is a place where students learn about and create music of all kinds. We even have a sunny, flower-filled courtyard where many wonderful learning activities take place.

We believe that strong school communities are built during the school day and beyond through enriching opportunities for students and their families. We offer an ever-changing array of activities for students to participate in, including after school enrichments, band and instrumental lessons, and chorus. All students participate in our special activities such as Day of Code in the fall and Field Day in the spring. A Celebrate the Arts evening each spring showcases thousands of projects completed by our students through the course of the year. Fifth graders can join our Giving Gorillas, a group focused on spreading kindness and promoting the greater good. Our student body and staff participate annually in multiple humanitarian efforts: canned food drives to support the local food pantry, cards and items to support our active servicemen and women at the holiday, coin drives to support the Red Cross and other causes.

Supportive parents and families are at the heart of our school community. Hills Garrison has been awarded the Blue Ribbon award due to the dedication of many volunteers. Our Parent Teacher Organization supports enrichments and assemblies that enhance curriculum and provide important character education for our students. Our success as a school is found not in the destination but in the journey itself, and we rely on the continued talent and commitment of parents, faculty, school board members, students, and the community at large to help us move forward together!

Hills Garrison Background Note:

The Hills Family has a longstanding history in Hudson. Today, there are numerous family members descended from the original Hills Family, and their presence and love for the town of Hudson is strongly felt. The Hills Garrison, constructed around 1720, was the site chosen by some of the first settlers of Hudson, Nathaniel and Henry Hills, sons of the late Samuel Hills. Joseph Hills, Samuel's father, received the land as part of a grant given to him by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1662. The original grant was for over 500 acres of land. In later years, Dr. Alfred K. Hills purchased the land from his father and build Alvirne (the Hills House) as his summer home.

Through the generosity of later members of the Hills Family, we have many beautiful and long-standing buildings, parks, and memorials built to commemorate their love for our town. By naming this school Hills Garrison School it sends a tribute to those pioneers whose spirit and bravery began and flourished in the town of Hudson.