PTC to be honored for community work

The St. Joseph Parent Teacher Club has one goal—bridging the gap between teachers and parents.

The St. Joseph PTC meets and exceeds that goal, which was one reason they were chosen as the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce Organization of the Year.

“They do a lot for the community,” said former St. Joseph Grade School Board Member Tiffany McElroy- Smetzer.

The group, which includes President Jen Wagner, Vice President Katie May, Treasurer Mike Sennert and Secretary Jenny Colvin, meets on the first Tuesday of the month at St. Joseph Grade School in the school’s conference room.

The group runs the annual Family Movie Night, Ice Cream Social, School Carnival in addition to running contests between the classes at the schools, funding activities and gifts during Teacher Appreciation Week and fulfilling teacher requests for their classrooms.

Wagner said serving on the PTC is important to the board because the teachers in the district are amazing and deserve the recognition for the hard work they do.

Other board members agreed.

“Being able to help celebrate their success in our children’s lives and help with needed classroom items is incredibly crucial,” Jennifer Colvin said.

With former Grade School Principal Sennert on the board, the Club has been made aware of the district’s financial situation and their actual needs, as well as understanding what state funding will not cover at the district level.

“Funding in education is a hard topic,” Wagner said. “The PTC prides itself on being able to help purchase items that may not be in the budget for the school year.”

The Club will be holding their annual Panther Walk before the school year is complete and hopes that they raise enough money that it can be the Club’s only fundraiser for the year. Wagner said the board feels all of their hard work is worth it. Colvin agreed.

“Our children are the future,” Colvin said. “If we, as parents, can take a small event and help brighten the day of our teachers or encourage a child’s love of learning we are only adding to the benefit our children will see in their future education.”

The St. Joseph PTC will be honored during the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet at 6 p.m. on April 25 at the Wheelhouse. Tickets are $25 and reservations can be made with Jennifer Wayland at Island Travel Group.