Parents’ Association Board 2014-2015 President Niven Kingwill President-Elect Molly Fritz Treasurer Nancy Smith Secretary Lisa Wright Preprimary Coordinator Colleen Polston Lower School Coordinator Jane Lacy Middle School Coordinator Megan Wallskog
Parents’ Association Board Front from left Megan Wallskog, Jane Lacy, Lisa Wright, Parents’ Association President Niven Kingwill, Jennifer Reese, and Colleen Polston. Back from left Nancy Smith, Patricia Fritz Kauffman, Marie Tucker, Melissa Sheppard, Stacey Radke, Molly Fritz, Jennifer Schoon, and Kristin Sheehan.
Upper School Coordinator Marie Tucker
Parents’ Association: Our Parents Give Back
Nominations Coordinator Jennifer Reese
In 2007, I was a new parent at University School of Milwaukee, having just moved from the Chicago
Volunteer Coordinator Jen Schoon
was still spinning from adapting to a new city, house, and school, and yet even at that time, I felt
Communications Coordinator Melissa Sheppard
engaged parent community and the seemingly endless ways to get involved through the Parents’
Special Events Coordinator Sara LeBrun-Blashka Past-President Stacey Radke
area. My three boys were entering prekindergarten, senior kindergarten, and 2nd grade, my head
strongly that USM was the right place for us. I felt that even more after I discovered the incredibly
Association (PA).
Seven years later, I find myself serving as the President of the PA, the umbrella organization through which parents collaborate and share their time and talents to help provide their children with the best educational experiences possible. The PA contributes approximately 18,000 volunteer hours to the life of the School each year, with two-thirds of these hours directly supporting teachers, administrators, students, and fellow parents, including activities such as assisting with the Preprimary and Lower School car circles, volunteering for Middle School lunch tables, and organizing Upper School dances, just to name a few.
The remaining third of our volunteer hours is devoted to fundraising, through a couple of large traditional events, such as Holiday Shops and Rummage at the Rink, as well as some smaller ones. Parents’ Association contributes the net proceeds of our fundraisers, which is currently around $225,000 per year, to the School for capital improvements. We spend an additional $40,000 annually sponsoring School programs and events on a class-wide, division-wide, or School-wide basis, including assemblies, author visits, Grandparents and Special Friends Day, and Arts Live. President Niven Kingwill
My involvement in the PA is a rewarding one, and I am humbled to serve in my role as President this year. I am proud of all the ways that our parents find to give back to their children’s school, since their involvement is critical to the success of USM.
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