Parental Involvement in Schools: The Key to Our Children's Success

Janelle Sperry is being honored as a Champion of Change for her time and effort in supporting parent involvement in our children's education.

When I was 8 years old, I remember attending the Bunker Hill Elementary School Fall Fun Festival. I would save every ticket for the stuffed animal game so I could have every possible chance to win the biggest toy. While I was getting my face painted, I remember my mom, dressed as a clown, running around through the event to make sure it was perfect for all the families and children that attended. Everyone waited all year for this activity and I always admired my mom for being the organizer because my friends all thanked me for her doing it. I guess from that moment I knew I was destined to be a PTA mom, too. I was always so proud of her for the many hours she dedicated to my school, and I wanted to be that kind of mom when I grew up. To this day, the best compliment I can receive is being compared to her.

Now that I’m a mom of a 10 year old daughter, I realize how important it is to be involved in our children’s education from the moment they step into kindergarten. My first experience with the PTA was attending one of the first meetings at the school because there was going to be a discussion about improving the playground. I was immediately interested and volunteered to be in charge of the project. I was fortunate to secure a $17,000 grant through the WV Legislature, and we were able to pave a ¼ mile track as well as a new basketball court. We took out old, unsafe playground equipment as well as installed new equipment from multiple fundraisers sponsored by the PTA in previous years. PTA officers painted fun games on the new court as well as painted existing equipment, and purchased new playground mulch for safety. After a full summer of preparing our new playground, I organized our first ever “Welcome Back to School” event with over 500 people attending. It was a wonderful experience to see how happy the children were from the hard work of our PTA, and I was inspired to do even more because I saw what a group of devoted parents could do.

Giving to Those That Hardly Recieve

Mandy Patterson is being honored as a Champion of Change for her time and effort in supporting parent involvement in our children's education.

I am so honored and humbled to receive the Champion of Change recognition. I started this journey just like many other moms out there. My baby was going to 1st grade and I felt like I needed to be more involved at school, but because I had two little ones I couldn’t get into the classroom to help.  When the PTA asked for volunteers I selected several boxes and was asked to be the treasurer. This was a great place for me, I learned so much about the needs that the school, the families at the school and the parents had. 

Creating an Environment for Life-Long Learners Through PTA

Sharon Meigh-Chang is being honored as a Champion of Change for her time and effort in supporting parent involvement in our children's education.

My involvement with PTA like many others began when my daughter entered school. I found there were many volunteer projects that I could be a part of to enhance the educational experience for every child. I worked alongside teachers, principals, community agents, and other volunteers to create an environment where children strive to be life-long learners. Through PTA I have been fortunate to have an outlet for my passion of helping others and to improve the lives of children. 

Volunteering for a non-profit organization like PTA (pta.org) that benefits our children and youth nationwide has given me the opportunity to develop leadership skills, advocacy on behalf of youth, and the ability to help where there is a need. The benefits of PTA are many from advocating for Healthy Lifestyles, Creating a Bully-Free environment, Common Core Standards, Families in Education, Stable Funding for Education, and the numerous programs that PTA offers.