May 11, 2017 -- Both Roxboro and Monticello middle schools are preparing to move into the swing space at Wiley while their buildings are updated. As staff and administrators are hard at work ensuring as smooth a transition as possible, the two schools’ PTAs are also focusing on bringing families together to forge a new culture of collaboration.
The current PTA executive teams have begun hosting joint events and look forward to combining their efforts –and their reach—in the next year.
“We are always trying to find new ways to reach out to parents and make them feel welcome in their child’s school,” said Erica Chaffin, who will continue in her current role as Rox Mid’s PTA President next year.
Her counterpart at Monticello, Marcie Denton, agreed. “We need to be aware of our own blind spots and make room for new voices and perspectives. We are always trying to tap into new spheres.”
The two PTAs recently hosted a get-together at the CLE Urban Winery on Lee Road for current and incoming middle school parents. This was the first of what will be a series of similar events, that are part meeting and part social gathering.
“We really just want to bring parents together, let them enjoy each other and build community in a casual way, while also supporting our local businesses,” said Chaffin, who plans to move such events to different venues across the community.
The PTAs will be adding three new subcommittees next year. One will be an extension of Building Rox, which has worked to encourage more – and more effective and more meaningful – family engagement at RoxEl over the past two years. Jennifer Holland, currently President of CHUH PTA Council, will lead that effort as her son moves into the middle school.
The second new committee is one focused on the social and emotional well-being of students. PTA leaders hope to partner with local experts and nonprofit organizations to address tough issues facing both students and their parents. This could mean anything from bringing in the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center to talk to students about informed consent, which is happening at Roxboro this month, to inviting the Cleveland Food Bank to provide lessons and recipes to parents to enhance their family’s health.
“Our ultimate goal is to integrate more socio-emotional health initiatives into the school environment,” said Chaffin, “so we’re caring for the whole child.”
The third new committee will be a Dads Committee, led by parent Lance Goddard, aimed at increasing participation by fathers in PTA activities.
The two executive committees plan to release an online survey for parents so they fully understand what parents want from their PTA, as well as the potential barriers to participation. “We can’t just make assumptions,” said Denton.
The first large-scale joint event for the two schools will be a Potluck Picnic on Monday, May 15 at Forest Hills Park. Current and incoming students and their parents are invited to participate in a garbage pick-up at 5 p.m. “I really wanted there to be a service aspect to this event,” said Chaffin. ”It’s important that we take care of our community.”
Families will then enjoy a potluck dinner together near the North Picnic Shelter. Guests are encouraged to bring their own reusable dishware, a practice used at Monticello to reduce waste at school events. This focus on sustainability was inspired by Noble father and former PTA Treasurer Steve Kanner, who passed away unexpectedly in August 2015. His lifelong commitment to the environment and peace activism has carried over to Monticello, where his daughter is now a sixth grader.
Both Chaffin and Denton are hopeful that this first event will be well-attended and well-organized so that people get excited about all that’s to come. “We want to help ease any anxieties people may have about the two schools coming together,” said Denton. ”And we really hope it doesn’t rain!”
She and Chaffin are both aware that the transition from two separate buildings, with separate traditions and separate cultures into one shared space, will require hard work, honesty and sensitivity. “We have to be brave and kind,” said Denton. “And always remind ourselves that we share the same goal: for all our students to have the most positive school experience possible.”