As the Nigerian proverb states, “It takes a village to raise a child”. For this reason, the decision of which school to send our son was an important one. While we certainly sought a school with strong academics, talented teachers, and differentiated instruction, we also looked for elements of character development, community service, and school community. This is a tall order but an essential one in my opinion in educating the whole child. As a mother and an educator, I try to provide experiences to foster my son’s development in all developmental domains and hope his school will as well. As newcomers to Evergreen Country Day, we have been pleased with the school’s focus on the whole child, specifically two of the supporting pillars, character and community. Evergreen Country Day strives to build a positive school culture through many classroom and community activities. Students eat and play in mixed groups, socializing with children older and younger. Family style lunches encourage new relationships, conversations, and a sense of community among children and adults alike. My son has friends at different grade levels allowing him to feel more confident as a leader with younger children but learning positive social behaviors from older children as well. Every Wednesday students attend Town Meeting where each grade has a turn to present and all learn about others’. For instance, my son, who is shy about public speaking, felt comfortable enough to stand up in front of the whole community the third week of school to present his idea for the Invention Convention, a project intended to bring the whole school together around the subject of a common summer reading. It is this purposeful inclusion of character development and respect into a child’s daily life at ECDS that is so meaningful to me. As an ECDS parent, I aim to honor my responsibilities in helping this learning community inspire and support children to become contributing members of society.