Saturday’s Lakewood Community Day was a powerful reminder that our public schools play an integral part in the lives of those in their district. By pairing back-to-school essentials with genuine fellowship, the event offered families both practical relief and a meaningful sense of belonging as the new school year begins.

It was a wonderful sight to see parents and children out together, playing, eating hamburgers and hot dogs and strolling through the dozens of tents that served as resource centers where books could be picked up, backpacks were given away, recreational sporting activities were promoted and available services were displayed.

Probably just as heartwarming was seeing the district’s four principals, many of their staff and at least one school board member mingling with parents and family in a relaxed atmosphere that allowed each group to get to know the other in an unofficial capacity.

It was community at its very best.

Sponsored by the Community Schools program in the Lakewood District, the day was a solid testament to one of the programs four central pillars — active family and community engagement.

Without question, the day built stronger relationships with parents and neighborhood stakeholders, including Roseboro’s Mayor Alice Butler, who was front and center interacting with parents, students and community members who turned out for the event; members of the Roseboro Fire Department, who cooled youngsters — and in some cases their families — by showering them with water from their fire hoses; the county’s library director, who gave away free books and talked about the services that could be found at the town’s library; and, of course, educators, who wiped down foam-soaked and laughing children, chatted with them about the upcoming school year and simply hugged up on them, showing both love and support.

If the school year’s success can be measured by the unofficial kickoff held Saturday, the Lakewood District schools have been set up to show amazing progress.

In many ways, that’s exactly what’s at the core of the N.C. Community Schools initiative — a way of transforming schools into comprehensive neighborhood hubs that support students, families and local communities.

According to its website, the North Carolina Community Schools Coalition is powered by a statewide network of educators, teachers, school leaders families, universities, community organizations and non-profit partners working together to remove out-of-classroom barriers to learning, particularly in high-need and rural districts.

The Lakewood District is one of North Carolina’s Community Schools, and is moving into its second year of support from the program. The benefits for the district are enormous as evidenced by Saturday’s Community Day, and those benefits will be echoed time and again by myriad activities throughout the year.

Think of it this way: when a child walks into a classroom hungry, is sick or hurting from a toothache, or carrying the stress of housing instability, even the best lesson plan in the world will fall short. For generations, we have expected schools to fix complex social challenges using only textbooks and tests. But real education doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and a child cannot focus on algebra if their basic needs aren’t being met.

That is why the Community Schools model isn’t just another educational trend — it is a common-sense return to what public education was always meant to be — the beating heart of the neighborhood.

At its core, a Community School transforms a traditional school building into a vibrant, round-the-clock hub. By partnering local school districts with community organizations, health providers, and local businesses, these schools bring essential services directly under one roof.

That is what is happening in the Lakewood School District, and we believe it will bring about remarkable differences in the lives of those who live within its boundaries.

Our public schools belong to all of us. Turning them into true hubs of community support isn’t just good educational policy; it is the smartest, most compassionate investment we can make in our shared future.