The Orrville School District participates in a unique, formalized partnership with the community as part of the nonprofit organization Heartland Education Community, Inc. (HECI). The organization was established in 1991 to shift the focus from school to education and shift the responsibility from school to community. Parents, educators, students, business leaders, service organization reps, and city government officials meet 6 to 8 times per year to address school and community issues. An early priority for HECI was character education. Organizers agreed that embracing a set of core values and modeling these values in the classroom was a solid foundation for preparing students for the 21st century. Character education initiatives were designed through a series of community-based ethics seminars to reinforce the efforts of parents, the church, and the school. More than 20 years later, HECI continues to support character education with a subcommittee that plans intiatives throughout the year based on a creative theme. This subcommittee includes HECI members and other citizens of the school and community.
The graduating class of 2007 donated character banners for the high school building as its senior gift. This was the first class to have had character education as part of their daily school experience beginning in kindergarten. This student-initiated gift reflects the importance of character education in their lives.

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