A school leader in Mount Pleasant, WI

Many people associate private schools with being religiously affiliated; however, there are secular schools in the Private School Parental Choice program. One such school is EverGreen Academy, comprised of two campuses with over 400 total students. Hillary Huck, the school’s Director of Operations, reports that enrollment at EverGreen has little (if anything) to do with market advertising; rather, families hear about the school from those in their community. Personal references are the top reason why parents choose to send their students to EverGreen, coupled with the fact that the school is an affordable option for parents seeking non-religious private education in the Racine area.

Their vision revolves around nurturing each student as a whole person, which places social-emotional practices and “real-life” skill building as important as traditional academics. At the elementary campus, 4K and 5K classes are play-based, allowing students to dynamically engage in the curriculum. Starting this school year, the middle school students take a required “life skills” class to learn about social-emotional strategies, general executive functioning, and even financial basics. These methods help instill the school’s values—security, perseverance, respect, and joy—into the students.

These values are embodied not only by the students, but also by the faculty and staff. Ms. Huck credits EverGreen’s faculty as one of the driving forces of their familial culture, who are trained in and practice the Love and Logic educational approach. “Schools are for children,” says Huck, “but it’s really about the quality of teachers you have.” By investing in their faculty, the positive energy trickles down to their students in the pursuit to help them become better citizens of their community.