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PTO revived at Bunn Elementary School
Parents revive Bunn Elementary School PTO
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
After years without a parent-teacher organization at Paul C. Bunn Elementary School, a group of parents decided to revive it.
About 12 parents began meeting last month as work, school, child care and other obligations allowed.
They gathered last week around a conference table in Principal William Baun’s office, some with infants and toddlers on their laps while a few older children busied themselves with games on handheld computers.
Bridget Strahin, whose daughter is a third-grader at the school, is the PTO president.
She and some of the other mothers got a wakeup call at the school’s spring fun day. Few parents attended, she said. They decided to try to get the group going again.
Vice President Priscilla Jackson, whose two daughters are in preschool and kindergarten at Bunn, believes it’s important for parents to be involved in their children’s school. Children also like to see their parents at school, getting involved, she said.
They hope more parents get involved, Jackson said.
Children have their teachers, principal and others at the school, but parents are crucial to their children’s education, she said.
Baun welcomes the group and the increase in parental involvement.
“It’s been the missing piece,” Baun said.
The school has quality instruction, but for the past several years, parental involvement has been lacking.
“If kids see their parents in the
building, it adds to the importance of what education is,” he said.
Strahin said the parents plan a fun activity for students each month, but they have to earn it.
A Christmas dance Dec. 19 will be the first event. To attend, kindergarten through second-graders must remain on “green” four days a week through this month. Schools use a green, yellow and red system to characterize behavior with green being the best. The students also must complete all homework four days per week through the month.
Third-through-sixth-graders must not be referred to the office for discipline, must complete homework four days per week this month and maintain or raise his or her grades this month to attend the dance.
The group also took over the school’s Angel Tree and is helping with the Santa’s Workshop event.
The Angel Tree was started by Leslie Carson, who had worked at the school but died last June.
School families who need assistance for the holidays were identified, and a Christmas tree was placed in the school lobby. It’s decorated with pink, blue and green angel ornaments. Blue is for boys, pink for girls and green for monetary donations.
Each ornament lists an item on the back for a child from one of the families. Those participating select an ornament, buy the item and return it to the school unwrapped. PTO members will wrap the gifts to be distributed to the families.
Group secretary Ruthann Scritchfield likes helping people and says the PTO offers her the opportunity to do that while setting an example at school for her children, a daughter in second grade and a son in kindergarten.