Volunteers Make the (School) Day
by Reaghan Walz
“We should…” is often the beginning of a great idea to improve school atmosphere, décor, student and staff morale, or to expand the education of students, but school staff are stretched too tight just trying to handle the many responsibilities they already have. So how do those lovely bulletin boards in the hallways get done? Who organizes the evening family fun nights? How does money appear for field trips? Panther Cubs PTO volunteers! They are the driving force in getting things like this done. They work behind the scenes filling in as many gaps as they can, not for recognition or incentive, but out of kindness and a desire to help. Here in the Stockbridge Community School District, we are fortunate to have many wonderful volunteers, and while they never ask for or seek recognition, it seems appropriate to acknowledge at least some of them.
While visiting Heritage and Smith, if you stop and look around for a minute, you will see some of the many ways volunteers contribute to our schools. The creative and informative bulletin boards highlighting the new staff at both Smith and Heritage were the work of PTO Vice Presidents Becky Muraf and Tracie Lentz. Fall Family Fun Fest, the free family event that took place in October, was chaired and coordinated by Jeanette Wetzel, the PTO Volunteer Coordinator and Donations Co-Coordinator. The work she put into the event helped to create an evening of fun for all Stockbridge families. Jeanette pulled off this event in coordination with her fellow PTO members.
If you have a student at Heritage, you probably heard about the book fair that took place the first week in October. Book fair is a wonderful opportunity, it helps draw kids to books, encourages reading, and allows for teachers and the school library to get new books. Book fair takes lots of work, and it is completely run by volunteers. Volunteers like Jill Ogden and Jeanette Wetzel helped set the fair up, getting it ready for the students and teachers to peruse. Then, thanks to people like Jenny Rusnock, Robin Bergman, Debbie Coon, Tina Mullins, Reaghan Walz, and Michelle Price, students were able to come and shop throughout the day. These wonderful volunteers spent several hours a day helping to stock and reorganize the fair, recommending books, counting change, and helping students figure out how to best stretch their dollars. When the fair ended, Tracie Lentz jumped right in to help pack up the fair to send on to the next school. Without these volunteers, book fair would not happen.
When the PTO wanted to present staff with an appreciation lunch, members of the community jumped in to assist, donating food items, helping with set up, and leading the way with clean up. Shortly after the staff appreciation lunch, Jill Ogden, Panther Cubs PTO President, realized that many of the support staff and bus drivers did not get to partake due to their work schedules. She worked quickly to solve the problem. Working with Tracie Lentz, Sunshine Karowich, and Jessica Lane, a breakfast was soon presented for them.
Did you love hearing about some of our wonderful volunteers? Did reading a little about what these amazing people do make you want to join in and help at the schools? Do you have a special talent? No talent, but five extra minutes every few weeks? Or a few extra hours a day? Whatever your circumstances, volunteers are always needed and appreciated! Reach out to Jeanette Wetzel at [email protected], she will let you know of current and future volunteer needs.
