Midway School

Midway Elementary teaches kids to love learning and school, not just to be little robots who test well. Principal Thorne sets the tone by being warm, caring and interested in every student. He knows all the kids' names, he listens to the parents and he takes an active interest in each classroom and its activities. My daughter's best friend moved out of her classroom so she felt a little lonely in her class. I mentioned it to Principal Thorne in passing and he said, "we need to know those things. We'll have the teachers keep an eye out for her and make sure she's got kids to play with during recess. If kids aren't happy at recess or stressed about it, they won't learn as well and they won't like school." And he did what he said.

One of the first grade teachers, Paula Vee Kerr won Teacher of the Year for the State of Utah recently and boy does she deserve it. She is just one gem among many at this special school. Our daughter went to 3 years of Montessori schools which were wonderful. Even so, she came to Midway in first grade struggling and frustrated with reading and writing. At the end of her year with Mrs. Kerr she was devouring 100 page chapter books, writing stories and doing well in math. She now wakes up an hour early so she can read before school and we've caught her under the covers at night with a flashlight reading into the night.

The final thing that makes Midway great is the parents. They volunteer in the classroom, actively participate in the PTA, they look out for one another and they are generally friendly and not ridiculously high maintenance. They seem happy to have their kids there and it shows. I have a friend who works in the State Education Department and she said Midway was one of the only schools in the state that hit the trifecta - happy students, happy teachers and happy parents.

We had a choice of private or public schools in Park City and Salt Lake City and chose Midway Elementary. I have a doctorate and come from a family of professors and professionals from the East Coast, all of whom are super fussy about education. I was hesitant about Midway because of the test scores, but we wouldn't have our daughter go anywhere else. If you want your child to embrace a lifetime of love for learning, check out Midway Elementary.