Beyond Fundraising: PTAs Support Students, Build Community

Local parent-teacher associations (PTAs) support diverse student populations but share a common goal—giving every child a positive academic experience while fostering a strong school community. 

“I feel the PTSA is very important way of helping to build community - especially at a school like TJ where students come from six counties and commutes can last well over an hour,” notes PTA President Denise Bunting of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. “I think that schools and kids perform better when there's a strong and healthy partnership between the families and the school.”

Cyndi Brown, president at North Springfield Elementary, believes other parents should join the PTA because “it’s the best way to know what’s happening at the school.”  Parents will feel more confident approaching administration and teachers when they need help, she said.

Suzanne Seitz, president of Camelot Elementary PTA, wanted her two daughters to see her as a “strong mom taking on a leadership role”.  With a son currently in second grade, she agrees that the more involved a parent is in the PTA, the more information he or she will have about how the school works.

More Than Money

A common misconception about PTAs and PTSAs (parent-teacher-student associations at the high school level) is they are focused solely on money.  “PTSA is not just about fundraising,” Denise Pensinger, president for Falls Church HS, asserts.  “It is there to support all the students, the teachers, and the parents.  You are making an investment in children through the PTSA.”  She also encourages students to join, to have a voice in the events they sponsor.  One of her favorite PTA-sponsored events, the Baccalaureate Ceremony, showcases student performances reflecting their experiences in high school.

Emily Slough, PTA President at Annandale High School, concurs with the notion that members do more than just raise money. “The PTSA is the only organization that supports the whole school.  In that way, (it) differs from booster groups and others that are specific to an interest or club or activity.” 

Local PTAs and PTSAs in the Annandale and Falls Church pyramids sponsor field trips, assemblies, and after-school programs for students, as well as professional development and appreciation events for teachers.  In addition, they purchase technology like computers and SmartBoards for school use.

Braddock Elementary PTA’s endeavors include last year’s Walk 4 Education walk-a-thon which enabled them to raise money without traditional fundraisers that president Mike Tran feels force students to sell items no one really needs, like wrapping paper and candy. They also coordinated a family prom and support the Braddock Boutique, a school-based consignment shop for community families, developed by staff member Patty Shawish.  In addition, students at Braddock can vote on how to use a portion of PTA funds; last year they used it to purchase recycling bins for the halls.

Environmental and Community Service

PTAs often combine fundraising efforts with service to the environment or community.  For example, Debra Johnson, president of Weyanoke PTA, has garnered funds through the collection of juice pouches and chip bags.  Sent to Terracycle.net to be “upcycled” into items like tote bags, they earn a few cents each.  The used flipflops they’ve collected will be turned into playground material. For Lisa Keyes and her PTA at Columbia ES, their efforts include helping families in need. “Some of the community events we are involved in are sponsoring a school supplies drive for families in our community, participating in a food drive to help stock a local food pantry, a coat and hat drive for our community,” she says.

PTAs use their resources to improve the school environment.  Ms. Brown indicates that North Springfield PTA’s big initiative this year is the revitalization of an outdoor courtyard that will be used as a science classroom.  At Annandale Terrace Elementary, president Josephine Guzman and her board are trying to raise funds for a new playground at the school.  Ms. Seitz’s PTA works in partnership with their principal, supporting a Fairfax County-wide program called Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS).  They incentivize teachers by entering them in drawings for gift cards based on their participation in the program.

Ms. Bunting reports, “This fall, we will be launching our new STEMbassadors program (whose) goal is to make TJ a familiar place, and to spread our enthusiasm for learning as well as providing support to our local elementary and middle schools.”  Parent volunteers will help share information about Thomas Jefferson HS.

Heather Brennan, president at Jackson Middle School, encourages parents to attend one meeting.  “You’ll be surprised by what you learn,” she says.  She cites it can be difficult for parents who work multiple jobs to get involved but if they can volunteer for one activity or chaperone a field trip, it will make a difference to the school and their children.  Her favorite PTA-sponsored event is Merrifield Day, a fall festival, where students can enjoy food and fun with their families.

Parents can assist by joining as members or serving as volunteers. Brown's goal for the year is that each North Springfield parent dedicates one hour (during or after school) each quarter in service to the school.  

As Ms. Slough reports, Annandale HS’s PTSA’s “focus continues to be on supporting students and faculty, as well as on community-building and encouraging all parents and families to take an active role in their child’s education.”  Similarly, every local PTA welcomes parents to join their efforts to advocate for students and schools in the coming school year.

Parent-teacher associations (PTAs) originated as a means for parents and other caring adults to affect positive change for children. The National PTA was founded in 1897 in Washington, D.C. as the National Congress of Mothers, by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst. Early objectives included the creation of kindergarten, child labor laws, and mandatory immunization.  Today’s National PTA, headquartered in Alexandria, continues to advocate for children through anti-bullying initiatives and the promotion of healthy lifestyles for children and their parents.