One year at our local middle school, our daughter realized she wanted a more challenging environment. At LCDS, she found it. She joined the school in the 7th grade and found classes that are accelerated and challenging without being just busy work. Her projects are creative. And the kids here feed off each other's enthusiasm for learning. No one hides that they received a 100 percent on their test. On our daughter's first visit, she found a kind of freedom and ease that she never experienced at public school. Small classes of kids having free and open conversations between each other and their teachers. It was a true campus-like atmosphere where everyone interacted and mingled together. Even when I visited, the first thing I noticed was a culture that made its students seem very self-assured. And parents can easily be involved throughout their child's entire school experience - not just elementary school. There are plenty of ways to volunteer all the way through high school.