Testimonials from Parents and Visitors

Dear Mr. Wilson,

Lately I've been thinking a lot about Grier and the year I spent there just a few years ago. Looking back, I can't help but to acknowledge how instrumental the Grier "family" I had was to my success. I can't believe how much I have grown up and how time flies.

The summer after leaving Grier I attended Harvard University's Summer School Program, something I never would have been brave enough to try without having Grier as a stepping stone. I was accepted to Harvard for another summer and graduated high school with eighteen college credits from Harvard University. I was accepted to all nine colleges I applied to, and ended up here at Texas A & M University.

As a freshman in college looking back at my high school years, I realize now that without leaving home to go to Grier I never would have had the courage to branch out and try things on my own. The network of people that helped and supported me and all of the girls I knew at Grier through various times in our lives is something I will never forget and will always be grateful for.

Thank you so much for doing what you do.

Sincerely, Jaimie

I would like to thank the administration, faculty, staff and fellow students for making Courtney’s first year at Grier such a memorable experience. I don’t even know where to begin. Education is learning not only the academics, but also about how to succeed in life. Grier has certainly laid the ground work for achieving success in the academics as well as in life’s journey. Courtney has learned the importance of taking pride in what you do and being accountable for what you do. The friendships she has made this year are true and lasting ones. Throughout this year, we have seen her mature into a strong, confident young lady. She has enjoyed her classes to the point learning was actually fun. This is all thanks to Grier and its wonderful staff. I also want to give a special thank you to Andrew Wilson for the pictures on the website. I would check the website faithfully. It always made me feel connected with my daughter. Grier has been a rewarding experience for our entire family!

Andrew:

I put our completed contract and room deposit in the mail to you today. Please confirm your receipt of it when it arrives.

I also wanted you to know how impressed we all were with the personal interest that you, Doug Grier, and practically everyone else we met at Grier took in our daughter. Your warm, hands-on approach was much different from the approach taken at other schools. Because you and Doug took the time to personally show us around the campus instead of delegating that duty to a student, and because of your other hospitable gestures, we all felt that our daughter will be more than just a number after she enrolls. We also felt that we will be welcomed to contact any member of the Grier staff to check on our daughter’s progress periodically. Those things are important.

The decision to send our daughter to a boarding school has been a difficult and emotional decision for our family. The choice of which school was much easier. Thank you again for your hospitality.

(Written by the parent of an incoming student.)

Dear Mr. Wilson,

Our family will always feel indebted to you for your kind initial reception on that day in August when you made us feel welcome and even worthy of such a wonderful experience for our daughter.

There were those early in the year who questioned our stability as parents for "sending our daughter away." They asked why parents choose a boarding school for their child. We used to respond that our child struggled academically and needed a boost for her plummeting self-esteem. Now there are few of our close acquaintances who even ask because our daughter's successes are proof enough.

But for those who do ask, we respond differently. We tell them that it provides a life experience that is unmatched. We tell them the education received is far superior due to the small classes, the excellence of the teachers, and the emphasis on individual achievement. We tell them that our daughter had the opportunity to meet other students from around the world. That she had the opportunity to room with a girl from Hong Kong and another from Annapolis, Maryland and even to become best friends with a girl from Saudi Arabia. We tell them that despite investigating a variety of co-ed schools, our daughter selected Grier. She did this not because it is a school for girls, but because of the sense of history and magic that touched us from the moment we turned into the driveway. Sometimes when people ask us now, my husband and I just wrap our arms around each other, smile, and say, "Go investigate. See for yourself."

Thank you for a year that touched all of our family - me, my husband, my son, and of course my daughter.

(Written by a parent whose daughter was at Grier one year.)

(The following comment was made by the mother of a current student to the parents of a new student entering Grier on opening day.)

"This place is so magical, your daughter will love it. Each time I come here it still strikes me the same way. It is like being on an elevator and then getting off on a floor that you didn't even know existed and...WOW...you are here!"

(Letter from the mother of a first year student at Grier.)