Millis

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Clockwise from top: A row of homes along Curve Street in the Millis Center Historic District; a postal employee delivers mail on Exchange Street; Sue MacMaster of Natick reads to her granddaughter, Mia Brainerd, 2, at Millis Public Library; the Niagara Engine House, which was built in 1878; and a goat peers at a visitor to Tangerini’s Spring Street Farm. (Community photos by Gretchen Ertl for The Boston Globe )

By Rachel Lebeaux

Globe Correspondent

I t may come as little surprise that the public schools were one of the biggest reasons Christine Girouard and her husband, Jerry, moved from Vermont to their home on Main Street in Millis more than eight years ago.

The Girouards have five children, ages 14, 12, 10, 6, and 23 months. Their oldest son attends Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical School in Franklin, but the others who are school-age are in Millis schools. “I wanted a small town, and a great school system for the kids was a high priority,’’ Girouard said.

In particular, she was drawn to Millis’s Spanish immersion program, which is offered beginning in the first grade. “I thought it would be amazing for them to come out of school and be bilingual. It would open more doors for them,’’ she said. Three of her children have enrolled in the program, and she’s impressed not only by their language skills, but by their accents. “Hearing them speak [Spanish] is incredible,’’ she said.

Girouard, a stay-at-home mother, said the family also wanted to be centrally located between both sets of grandparents, who live in Millbury and Canton. The Girouards have come to appreciate that Millis not only offers its own amenities, but that they can easily go shopping in Bellingham or Milford and can zip over to Patriot Place in Foxborough so their children can watch professional soccer.

Of course, there are plenty of activities in Millis. Girouard’s children have participated in baseball and soccer, and the eldest daughter takes dance lessons. The family frequents the town library and visits Oak Grove Farm, where they enjoy the walking trails and playground.

“I love that it’s a very small town with a family feel. Everybody knows everybody and looks out for everybody,’’ Girouard said. On days when the schools let out early, “you see all the kids walking around together, going out to eat and playing basketball.’’

And when it comes to housing, “You can find any price range you want, which is really nice,’’ she said. “We’ll be here until we retire.’’

Rachel Lebeaux can be reached at rachel_lebeaux@yahoo.com.