Giving
Endowment

The Lila Kittredge Endowment Fund

Lila Kittredge

Lila Kittredge ’78 has taught at CCES for nearly a quarter century. She has spent her entire career as a Primer teacher. She is an icon, not because of her tenure, but because of the limitless energy, light, and patience she exudes. If Lila has taught you or your child, chances are she is more than just a teacher; she is a member of your family.

Lila has always created a warm, inviting, exciting entry to students’ school life in her classroom. She enjoys making sure her students are happy, that they love being at CCES, and that they love learning. Primer is a child’s first step into “real” school, and Lila knows how to make them feel right at home.

Lila's deep love of reading and her passion for children have motivated countless students to learn how to read. In Lila’s classroom, reading is fun and exciting, stories and characters come alive in her voice, and a child’s interest in reading is truly ignited. Suffice it to say, her influence has inspired hundreds of children and shaped how they view reading.
In 1997 my wife Penny and I, decided that a college preparatory education in a Christian environment was essential for our two children Alexis ’10 and Asheton ’13. Penny and I both grew up in Greer and had no affiliation with CCES at that time. During the summer, prior to Alexis entering Primer, Penny was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. As one can imagine, we were terrified and unsure how we were going to navigate this with a six-year- old and two-year-old. After having surgery to remove the tumor, Penny was insistent that she would attend Alexis’s first day of Primer and delay her chemo treatments. It was that day that Lila Kittredge would enter our lives forever. Lila, or as Alexis called her, Mrs. Kitt Kitt, was more than just her Primer teacher; she became a mother away from home for us while we were hiding the side effects of chemo from our children. Lila loved our family like the love of Jesus on the Cross, and for that our family is forever thankful and indebted to her. Lila is the true embodiment of CCES—Character, Community, Excellence and Service— and has made not just CCES, but the world a better place. - Rodney Hinton
Never steering away from a messy, chaotic, or time-consuming classroom project, years later her students can still recall the projects they completed in her classroom. Lila has embraced technology, allowing her to take a global approach to teaching. For the past two years, her classes have been Skyping with a class in Brazil every month. Her classes use technology to learn about cultural differences.

Lila’s progressive teaching style is not limited to the latest in technology, though. Lila has always strived to find the best ways to teach young children. One innovation she’s implemented in her class is alternative seating. She allows students to select the best spot for them to do their work. The choice may be a wobble stool, a standing desk, a yoga mat— her approach to seating leaves the students plenty of room for group projects and exploration.

Lila does more than just teach: she creates experiences. She provides a wonderful foundation for students in their first year at CCES, and they leave with a wild curiosity; a determination to think, question, and wonder; and most importantly a sense that their beloved teacher is forever family.

To honor the tenure and teaching of Lila Kittredge, Rodney and Penny Hinton, parents of CCES alumni Alexis ’10 and Asheton ’14, have created a named endowment to fund need-based awards to recruit and retain distinctive students. The purpose of the fund is to provide financial assistance for entering Lower School students, preferably children of alumni. The Admission Office will play a central role in all decisions.

Gifts/pledges to the Lila Kittredge Endowment Fund may be made through cash, stock, planned or deferred giving. For more information on making a gift to the Lila Kittredge Endowment Fund, please contact Jamie Inman, Assistant Head for Advancement, at 864.299.1522 ext. 1272. 
Christ Church Episcopal School (“CCES”) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at CCES. CCES does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, scholarship or other programs, or athletic or other school-administered programs and activities.