Ensworth School will celebrate its 50th Birthday in 2008 by giving someone else a birthday present. The coed independent school will give the Nashville community the gift of four new homes in partnership with Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity (NAHFH) and with the help of international music stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

The homes will be built in the spring of 2008 in NAHFH's next all-Habitat community, Timberwood. NAHFH recently purchased land for Timberwood, located off Brick Church Pike near Briley Parkway. The homes will be constructed on a street to be named Tiger Circle, in recognition of the gift from Ensworth School. Building the four homes simultaneously will be groups of Ensworth High School students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and parents.

"A vital part of Ensworth's mission is to inspire our students to give back to their communities now as students and throughout their lives, "says Ensworth headmaster Will Moseley. "We are excited about involving so many different parts of the school community to share in this project. The opportunity to celebrate Ensworth's 50th anniversary by sharing our energy to make several families' lives better is, we believe, an appropriate expression of who we are and how we'd like our first half-century in Nashville to be remembered."

Chris McCarthy, president and CEO for NAHFH, said "We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Ensworth School in celebration of their 50th birthday. We have developed a wonderful relationship with Ensworth students and faculty. The pre-first graders that help us every year build driveways at the site with their annual penny drive have been such an inspiration to us, as well. I am so excited that we will have the opportunity to work with many other school volunteers and with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill to help build homes and lives for four hardworking, low-income Nashville families."

Artists Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have volunteered to stage a concert event to help sponsor the construction of the four Habitat homes. While plans are still being finalized, the two plan to perform on behalf of the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity in concert in January 2008.

Next year, Ensworth School will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the school's founding along with holding the first graduation for the high school, which opened in 2004.

"The 2008 year brings the convergence of major milestones in Ensworth's history and in the life of the school," says Moseley. "We are delighted to enter into partnership with Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity, and we are deeply grateful to Faith Hill and Tim McGraw for helping to make this project possible. I am looking forward to strengthening the bonds within our school community as we all join together to celebrate by giving some of our Nashville neighbors new homes."

Ensworth's community service program has long been actively involved with Habitat for Humanity. The school's youngest students, in pre-first grade, collect pennies each year to give to Habitat. The students learn about how homes are built, they meet the family who will live in "their" house, and they go to the home site to help move gravel, bucket by bucket, to build the driveway. Students at Ensworth High School are regular participants in activities supporting Habitat as well, through the school's service learning curriculum. The 50th Birthday home building project will be coordinated by parent volunteers working with students, faculty and alumni.

Chairing the 50th Birthday Celebration are Reed and Rosie Trickett. Reed is a former Ensworth trustee, and the Tricketts are parents of an Ensworth student. Serving as honorary chairs are Amy Grant and Vince Gill. Grant is an Ensworth alumna and trustee, and the Gills are current parents at the school. Coordinating the volunteers for the Habitat build will be John and Jo Ella McClellan, and coordinating school efforts with the concert event are Will and Trudy Byrd, all current parents of Ensworth students. John McClellan, a current trustee, and Trudy Byrd are also alumni of the school.

Ensworth School serves students in grades pre-first through twelve on two campuses – 211 Ensworth Ave. and 7401 Highway 100. The school offers a challenging academic program in a coeducational environment and provides a full range of visual and performing arts, athletics, extracurricular activities, and community service. Visit www.ensworth.com.