Mining Ter, Jacksonville, FL 32257

I grew up going to a private school and had no intentions of ever sending my children to a public school. I will eat my words now. My children all attended Mandarin Oaks for several years, and it is the most wonderful elementary school I’ve ever seen or heard of, and I’ve worked in many. Before we decided on sending our oldest, a friend who had worked there said they try to make it like Disney World. I had no idea what that meant, but I smile to say that I do now and they do a great job at it. At MOE, every opportunity is taken to bring joy and life to every student. There’s music and decorations, festivals, costumes, animals, traditions, gardens, love. The teachers are capable, professional and loving to the children with very few exceptions. Ms. Butterfield is a once in a lifetime principal. She supports her staff but supports her parents too. Every issue I’ve brought to her has been personally heard and addressed promptly with satisfaction. Ms. Mac N Cheese blessed our family in a very important way, she will be a legendary figure in our family stories and is an absolute character and joy as a teacher. She wears fun clothes and earrings every day, has an actual menagerie in her classroom and out in The Garden. Most importantly, she truly sees each child. We cherish Ms. Dubisky and I was so pleased with the level of writing my third grader learned from Ms. Wood. Impressive. But I could go on. Mr. Royal, Ms. Wadsworth, Coach Butler, art teachers, Ms. Cunningham, Ms. Yonge, Ms. Lappen, Ms. Schlupp, ESE team, Ms. Pitts, Ms. Danielle… And then there’s officer Hall. Officer Hall is our school police officer. He deserves a presidential commendation and that’s no exaggeration. He stands outside the school every morning doing his duty and well beyond. He shouts affirmations (“I knew it was going to be a great day when I saw that you were here today.”), greetings (Hey there, Princess/Fighter Pilot), and personalized messages of encouragement (“This is an important day for you. Do your best!”) to EVERY student, parent and younger sibling walking to the building. I saw him recently in a much more serious setting, and he does that well too. I’ve never seen or heard anything like it. He needs a documentary. It’s a great school. It’s a school-there’s day to day and the mundane, but its exceptionalities make it truly great. And recently, it’s shown itself to be much more than just a school. It’s a family and a community to the core. Very, very proud.