Here are the presidents of the parent organizations at each Hoover school and what they said about their goals for the 2019-20 school year.
BLUFF PARK ELEMENTARY
Nations.
PTO President: Alli Nations
Contact: bluffparkpto@gmail.com; 601-9034
Goals: Continue partnering with teachers, administrators and community members to make this another exceptional school year; extending support to our staff with a focus on our custodial workers; enhancing opportunities for teachers through our new grant program; identifying ways to support our special education students; continuing to host our traditional events such as the outdoor social and Santa’s Breakfast. Our PTO welcomes two new officers this year. Emily Acton will serve as assistant treasurer, and Fran Morris will serve as a fundraising co-chairwoman
DEER VALLEY ELEMENTARY
Hunter.
PTO President: Jill Hunter
Contact: jillandchad@mac.com
Goals: Primarily will focus on two fundraising events: a coin drive in the fall and a parent weekend in the early spring that includes a father-daughter dance and mother-son dodgeball tournament
GREEN VALLEY ELEMENTARY
Elder.
PTO President: Yashica Elder
Contact: ptogves@gmail.com
Goals: Boost volunteerism by providing more information to parents early in the school year so they can better schedule school activities into their plans; try to connect families better because it seems there is some disconnect due to redrawing of attendance zones in recent years. The PTO planned a ice pops on the playground event for Aug. 9 and plans to have more parent nights and dinner nights. The music teacher is going to plan music events in conjunction with PTO meetings. With last year’s big fundraiser, the PTO raised money to renovate the library and help resurface the gym floor. This year’s big fundraiser will raise money to further update the gym.
GREYSTONE ELEMENTARY
Olson.
PTA President: Michelle Olson
Contact: michelle@invisiblefencetc.com; 678-524-1871
Goals: The PTO is combining its annual Leave a Legacy campaign with the school’s 25th anniversary, asking people to buy bricks to be installed around the flagpole in front of the school. The bricks can have the names of current or former students. A back-to-school bingo night was planned for Aug. 9, and the PTO will hold monthly spirit nights at restaurants and other businesses. The PTO also will award grants to teachers, organize volunteers to assist teachers and sponsor Young Authors Week, Red Ribbon Week to combat bullying, Field Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, an enrichment week full of extra hands-on activities and learning experiences, a walk through the school by Spain Park 12th-graders who went to Greystone and a trip to Berry Middle School for Greystone fifth-graders.
GWIN ELEMENTARY
Phebus.
PTO President: Sheli Phebus
Contact: shelip@hotmail.com
Goals: Hold events such as a fun run in October, Veterans Day recognition and a holiday shop and holiday breakfast in December; raise $20,000 to resurface the fitness playground (it may take more than one year to raise that money); hope to give out $10,000 in grants to teachers, but that will depend on the success of the fun run.
RIVERCHASE ELEMENTARY
Lennex.
PTO President: Ashley Lennex
Contact: ashley.lennex@gmail.com
Goals: Continue to support teachers and administrators as they implement quality instruction. This year, the PTO is providing new collaborative seating for fifth-graders and has added sensory games to the K-1 playground; we want to add more elements to that playground this year. We kicked off the school year with a color run and plan to have our third annual game night on Oct. 18, holiday shop Dec. 3-6, coin drive Feb. 3-7 and monthly spirit nights at restaurants.
ROCKY RIDGE ELEMENTARY
Wilson.
PTO President: Danielle Wilson
Contact: rrespto@gmail.com; 447-3963
Goals: Bring together families and the community through fundraisers such as a fun run and spring fling; continue to update our library with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) research centers, comfortable seating, STEM design and build tables and an outdoor courtyard reading area; put on events such as the Santa Shop, friends and family lunch and family game night, which has taken on a science, technology, engineering, art and math theme; supporting teachers with appreciation lunches, classroom supplies and teacher appreciation week. We are also thrilled about our new pre-K students and families.
SHADES MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY
Gray.
PTO President: Kimberly Gray
Contact: smes.pto.president@gmail.com
Goals: Get a lot more parent and community involvement with an “I matter” theme, stressing that moms and dads matter in schools; have more activities and programs at school that involve parents so parents, teachers and students are all working together to educate students and raise funds to meet school needs; supporting the principal’s “We are family” theme; have two or three general PTO meetings instead of just PTO executive board meetings; participate in the annual pancake breakfast; have an Oct. 16 kickoff for the school’s annual fun run, the PTO’s biggest fundraiser, which is scheduled for Nov. 1. The PTO also helped in getting new flooring and school decorations for this year.
SOUTH SHADES CREST ELEMENTARY
Carpenter.
PTO President: Allison Carpenter
Contact: allisoncarpenterphotography@ gmail.com
Goals: Have a second annual Fairy Tale Festival in February. It was a great event last year that helped build a close-knit community. It’s just so magical with all the kids at South Shades Crest being so young (last year K-2; this year pre-K-2). The PTO last year helped raise money to build a rock-climbing wall in the gym and this year is excited to find new ways to meet teachers’ needs.
TRACE CROSSINGS ELEMENTARY
Cochran.
PTO President: Hope Cochran
Contact: hope4@me.com
Goals: Give teachers more free time by doing things such as have volunteers keep watch over students at lunch; raise money to get the sound system in the cafeteria upgraded; organize events such as a fall fun run, Veterans Day program, Friends and Family Thanksgiving lunch, silent auction, community Breakfast with Santa on a Saturday morning, community “Small Tall Ball” dance in April, coin wars fundraising drive with loose change, and spirit nights at various restaurants and businesses throughout the year.
BROCK’S GAP INTERMEDIATE
White.
PTO President: Meredith White
Contact: bgipto@gmail.com, meredith. mbw@gmail.com
Goals: Continue supporting our school and teachers with fundraising and hospitality, showing teachers and faculty just how important they are to our students and families; planning fun events for students, families and the community, such as a family movie night and a “paint the ceiling” fundraiser, in which students pay to be able to paint on ceiling tiles in the hallway going to the gym; also plan to implement a new teacher grant program.
BERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL
Harvey.
PTO President: Delicia Harvey
Contact: deliciawork@aol.com
Goals: The main goal is to help fund all 25 of the teachers’ grant requests for this year. The PTO also planned its second annual tailgate day to kick off football season and is looking for ways to get more parents involved and help more families meet one another.
BUMPUS MIDDLE
Kurz.
PTO President: Josie Kurz
Contact: josiekurz@yahoo.com
Goals: Continuing to assimilate our new sixth-graders and finish modernizing our media center. Our annual color run, scheduled for Sept. 27, will fund our projects for the coming year.
SIMMONS MIDDLE
Marrett.
PTO President: Kathryn Krawcheck Marett
Contact: kathrynkmarett@gmail.com; 912-660-1709
Goals: Increase parent engagement and support positive changes for the kids, teachers and faculty under the amazing leadership of Kevin Erwin; help new families entering Simmons feel welcome and aware of all that is available; serve our teachers even more through various luncheons and snack carts. Our fundraiser this year is called the Bucs Bounty, and we are simply asking parents to write a check and be done with fundraising. Lori Redding, our fundraising chairwoman, has done an incredible job this summer soliciting businesses around Birmingham to support us through donations. We hope that through the many donations we will be able to raise enough money to fulfill all classroom grant requests from teachers.
HOOVER HIGH
Stephens.
PTSO President: Sabrina Stephens
Contact: Text 305-1646
Goals: Continue to support the faculty and staff with teacher of the quarter luncheons and teacher grants; we hope to give out $5,000 in grants this year; get more parents involved. Last year, we helped the school buy stations where students can fill up their water bottles, and we hope to do more of those this year.
SPAIN PARK HIGH
Gagliano.
PTSO President: Kim Gagliano
Contact: spainparkptso@gmail.com
Goals: Raise enough money to fulfill all teacher grants at Spain Park. We are very proud of last year’s funding of Spain Park’s first-ever E-Sports League. The Jaguar E-sports team made history by winning the very first Alabama High School Athletic Association state championship. Our grants are designed to build and grow student achievement and make a difference in our Spain Park community.
