Kenmore Jr High PTA: Outstanding Secondary Local Unit of the Year

Kenmore Jr High PTA attributes their success this year to maintaining focus on their mission to support all students and providing connection and community at the school. “We made a concerted effort to ensure every student was set up for success and were intentional about establishing our PTA budget to make an impact on all the students at the school,” said Cindy Jensen, PTA president. For example, the PTA provided a grant program for teachers to apply for extra money to fund projects for their classrooms. They also funded back to school supplies for students who began the school year without the supplies they needed. When they noticed that some students were coming to school hungry due to life circumstances, and not necessarily situations where free or reduced lunches would be applicable, the PTA secured a grant through Windermere to provide meals for these students. As a junior high PTA, it can be difficult to get parents engaged at the school, but Kenmore Jr High PTA was able to bring parents, and specifically dads in this case, into the school by launching a Watch D.O.G. program. Having volunteer dads at the school to be an extra set of eyes and ears at the school not only helps with security, it provides a great avenue for dads to get engaged at their kids’ schools. Another key component in their success is that Kenmore Jr High PTA developed goals that support and compliment the school’s goals and provided opportunities for the membership to review, discuss and vote on their PTA’s goals.