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Youngstown schools Star Parents recognized for their commitment
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
When it comes to ensuring that Jalayla Kelly receives the best education, her mother has adopted a holistic approach that extends beyond merely insisting that the East High School 10th-grader maintains good grades.
“I always try to go to the teacher-parent conferences,” Merinda Kelly said. “I have a close relationship with some of her teachers, and I keep up with her IEP [individual education plan].”
Merinda said she also occasionally visits her daughter’s classroom and keeps her active in extracurricular activities.
For that level of proactivity, Merinda is one of close to 300 parent advocates representing 13 city schools who were honored during the Youngstown City Schools’ ninth annual Title I conference Friday at Stambaugh Auditorium.
Merinda was among those caught off guard at the event when Superintendent Connie Hathorn announced his resignation, effective June 30, after five years of leading the district of about 5,100 students.
The three-hour awards program, themed “Parents Empowering Parents,” recognized and honored Kelly and the other Star Parents for their commitment to improving and enriching their children’s education. Counselors, teachers and parent liaisons nominated them.
Other parents who spoke were Tanisha McMullen and Tessia Day, advocates at Taft Elementary School and Chaney High School, respectively.
“I can understand the shoes parents stand in,” said McMullen, who also discussed some of the struggles she endured as a young, single mother.
Day stressed what she sees as the need for stepped-up efforts on the part of parents to volunteer in their youngsters’ schools. Doing so will increase the students’ ability to prosper and find success, she said.
Guest speakers were former Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams and his wife, Sonja, parents of a 4-year-old son, Ethan.
Many parents of young children are continually bombarded with advice by well-meaning people who often underestimate the difficulty of fulfilling parental roles, explained Sonja, the graduate-enrollment coordinator at Marymount University in Arlington, Va.
“As a parent, you’re never short on opinions about your parenting,” she continued. “It matters in the end what your children think of what you’re doing.”
Sonja Williams also cited a study of 1,000 youngsters age 8 to 18 that showed the vast majority wished their parents experienced less stress and fatigue from work. The results also pointed to a discrepancy between the percentage of parents who wanted more family time and their children who desired the same.
“It becomes an issue not so much of quantity but of quality,” she said. “When we’re with our children, are we present or are we on our phones?”
Jay Williams, assistant U.S. secretary of commerce for economic development, talked about several ways to be more-effective advocates. They included building relationships with those who are part of the learning environment, maintaining records to evaluate progress, asking questions, knowing the law pertaining to and rights of children with special needs and regularly attending meetings.