A few days into the new academic year, Carter Hudson had a request for his mother, Jennifer. He asked her to drop him off 30 minutes early at the Hill School, where he's enrolled in Junior Kindergarten, so he could head to the library to meet some more new friends.

What a difference from the previous fall.

"A year ago, Carter cried for 30 minutes, and the teacher had to gently pry him away from me," Jen Hudson wrote in a recent email to Kelly Johnson, Hill's Director of Enrollment. "And then, from the classroom window, he looked for me to come back, and he had been going to the school for a year and a half at that point…So, I have decided that there is a thing that I will always refer to as the 'Hill Effect.'"

This year, there are 55 new students representing 34 new families at Hill, and three new full-time teachers, as well. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence that the school is having a similarly positive "effect" on all of them.

Listen to Mike and Camy Geide, who have two children enrolled for the first time, Bria in third grade and Silas in Junior Kindergarten. They live in Vienna, a 45-minute drive to and from school, but already they have no doubt they've found the perfect educational fit.

"We knew we wanted to transfer them out of the school they were in," Mike Geide said. "Our daughter was having issues with the style of teaching. There were timed assignments, and if you didn't finish on time, you couldn't go to recess. She started worrying about repercussions, and it had a negative impact on her. She was dreading going to school. That's not the case now."

The Geide family first heard about Hill at Christmas dinner last year at Mike's parents' home in Purcellville. They had started to compile a list of potential schools, and after their initial visit, it didn't take long to decide that Hill would be their first choice.

"We noticed a lot of little things, students holding open doors for us, taking the time to be courteous, responding in complete sentences," Camy said. "You'd visit classrooms, and the students and teachers really looked engaged. It was a very different atmosphere."

In their meeting with Head of School Treavor Lord, Mike Geide said, "We heard about the school's philosophy. We learned not only about the academic and co-curricular program but also that the idea was to have them grow into self-sufficient and happy young adults and that Hill would have an impact on the rest of their lives."

That same philosophy has always been a point of emphasis for Hill's faculty, and also was an attraction for Hill's new teachers. That includes fourth grade teacher Doug Hart, who also has two grandchildren enrolled as new students, Chloe, a second-grader, and Carlee, who is in his fourth grade class.

Hart is a veteran educator who has worked in Maryland public and independent schools. He and his wife wanted to move to Middleburg to be closer to his stepdaughter and her two children, and when Lord told him he had an opening, Hart jumped at the chance.

"It's all about community, family at Hill," Hart said. "It's not about having perfect scores, it's about creating life-long learners. You have a wide variety of personalities, all different skills. Children are encouraged to try many different things, and that's so important."

Harrison Schroder is a recent graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont and is teaching seventh and eighth grade science and coaching sixth through eighth grade sports. A Connecticut native, he responded to the job posting knowing little about Hill or the area. He now knows he made a wise choice.

"So far, people have just been amazing to work with," he said. "Everyone has been so supportive, and I'm learning every day how to be a better teacher and a mentor to the students."

Schroder once took a semester off from college and worked with children with autism. This experience provided valuable lessons in dealing with youngsters as individuals, and gave him the opportunity to adapt his own teaching methods to their particular needs.

"At Hill, there's such a great group of children, and they are all willing to try everything. They all play sports, and participate in music, drama and studio art alongside their challenging academic program. This is all dedicated to developing a well-rounded mindset. Hill does a great job of getting children to step out of their comfort zones."

Director of Enrollment Kelly Johnson said she hears much the same from parents she works with on a regular basis.

"What resonates with them is that we as a faculty and staff really listen to them," she said. "We always talk with interested parents about who we are – our philosophy and our mission, and our ultimate goal of raising children to become happy, successful adults. Our program is tailored to meet the individual needs of every student. They are cared for, they are loved, and they are respected here at Hill."

All part of the "Hill Effect," you might even say.