Dear Davis Families, 

72,000 miles. It all started with a 20-mile drive back in 2013 and will end with 72,000 miles traveled ten years later.
 
After touring multiple schools for our daughter Marisa and not finding exactly what we were searching for, we followed her grandparent’s suggestion to check out The Davis Academy. Realizing it was 20 miles from our home in Milton, we didn't think it was realistic but decided to check it out anyway. Throw in the fact that my wife Avrielle is Jewish, and I am Catholic, and that there are several good schools between us and Davis, and our first drive there seemed almost like a waste of time. I was raised attending Catholic schools with names such as Christ the King and St. Henry’s. I even went to a school run by Franciscan Monks for three years. I was an altar boy, baptized, and confirmed. However, I had decided to support Marisa being raised Jewish because it was important to Avrielle. With that said, driving that far each day just seemed like too much. I secretly thought we were just checking off a box in our search for the perfect school for Marisa.
 
When we arrived for the tour, we immediately felt something in the air that was missing from the other schools we had visited. The teachers and staff were happy and inviting. The kids were smiling and engaged. As we toured, I could tell immediately that the kids were academically ahead of the students in the other schools. But there was something else that we both felt, though we couldn't quite identify. When we left, I turned to Avrielle and said, “Let's commit to one year and see if the school can convince us over that year to return the following year.”
 
That's how our story began. From a one-day commitment to a one-year commitment. Ten years later, here we are, having driven over 72,000 miles to and from school!
 
We gradually identified that "something else" we felt that first day. It was the authenticity of the Davis community and the belief in the importance of educating the children while surrounding them with love, warmth, and understanding. Marisa has learned to believe in herself, to take risks, and now has a love of learning new things, all while receiving an outstanding education that surpasses anything this Catholic dad might have expected. She has formed unique relationships with each teacher and made many friends. We have watched as a community of peers has grown up not only around her but also around our family, in spite of me coming from a different religious background.
 
The Davis Academy has been a positive influence in her life. It has helped us co-parent her. That’s how we see it. She has become a great person. She is thoughtful, aware of those around her, and loves life. We have done our part at home, and the faculty and staff at Davis have done their part at school. We will forever be grateful for that.
 
At the end of it all, when people question our sanity in driving this far every day for a school, I reply simply, “The Davis Academy is so much more than just a school.“
 
Rique and Avrielle Ragghianti
Davis Parents