Oakwood Junior and Senior High Parent Teacher Organization May 2019 FROM THE PTO PRESIDENT From the PTO President It is hard to believe another year is coming to a close. The PTO has had a busy Spring! A couple of years ago, the PTO created a special fund for future large projects. During the last 18 months, the PTO worked with Mr. Waller and Mr. Badenhop to identify an area that would impact students the most. We were able to improve an underutilized outdoor patio area and provide seating for approximately 50 students. The patio is located between the library and the teacher's workroom and is now being used for extra lunch seating as well as an outdoor classroom during nice weather. A special thank you to Jennifer Almoney for overseeing this project! Thanks also to the OJHS/OHS maintenance staff for assembling picnic tables and casual seating.
The parent-sponsored After Prom was a fabulous event. Chair Stephanie O'Hara helped lead a great team of volunteers. This is a great event for our Juniors and Seniors every year. Thanks to the many parent donations, our kids received amazing raffle prizes and had big smiles as they left the school in the middle of the night!
Thank you for the honor of serving as President of the PTO this year. Maura Schmitt will take the reins next year. She will lead a great team of people that have stepped up to help the school and serve in a variety of ways. Have a wonderful summer and enjoy the time with your families.
Sharon Kelly
PTO Patio Project Provides Lunch, Outdoor Learning Space for Students The PTO was excited to support a much needed improvement for OJHS/OHS. As many of you know, finding space to eat lunch or hold an outdoor class can be difficult for our staff and students. This year, as part of our grant money, the principals requested the PTO help to expand seating areas in a hidden patio between the library and the teacher workroom. The PTO used grant money as well as some additional funds that have built up over 10 years to accomplish this task. This is the first large, impactful project that our PTO has been able to participate in, because we are a group that only uses membership money to fund our school efforts. We are so proud of the work that has given students the opportunity to expand learning experiences and the lunch seating. Please take a look at the pictures to the left and see for yourselves. Thank you to all of the families that join PTO!
Bev Johnsen Volunteer Award Congratulations to Debbie DiLorenzo for being named the recipient of the Bev Johnsen Volunteer Award for her exceptional dedication to our PTO. Her daughter, Mia Gorman, proudly accepted the award on her behalf at the PTO meeting on May 9.
Debbie has been active in PTO since 2002. Serving as Harman PTO President, Harman Night School Chair, OJHS Volunteer Coordinator, OHS After Prom Chair, OJHS/OHS PTO President and many, many other committee positions over the years. The award was established in 2017 and named after Bev Johnsen, a former OJHS/OHS PTO President. This award honors a parent in their last year at OHS for exceptional service and leadership to the PTO.
After Prom a Big Success! Over 300 students attended After Prom 2019 at OHS following the Prom at Dayton Art Institute. Doors opened at 11:30 p.m. and as students entered the building greeted by Paul Waller or Laura Connor, they entered into the world of Shrek as the After Prom theme. The decorations committee, led by Shari Malloy and Michele Farash, artistically transformed the hallways into Shrek's swamp-land complete with a Shrek cutout for snapping photos. Students had the opportunity to spend time in the Casino (west gym), chaired by Jennifer Almoney, where they could gamble for tickets or play a few inflatable games. You may have even seen some familiar parent faces dealing the cards and managing craps or roulette. The Pit housed huge inflatables where students raced, jumped and make their way through obstacles courses after being spun around for 60 seconds. Mollie Armstrong and Jackie Jones, food committee chairs, organized a huge buffet spread for all of the hungry students and even scooped ice cream for them! Many students walked away with incredible prizes organized by the Prizes Committee - Jamie Lewandowski, Connie Filbrun and Lisa Henry. Every 15 minutes during After Prom a student's name is called and they are eligible to pick a prize off of the prize board if they are present. Several grand prizes are awarded at the end of the night as well and a record number of students were present at the end at 2 a.m. Local business and parent donations along with our PTO and JA donations makes After Prom possible. Thank you to the many parents who donated cash, gift cards and merchandise to the prizes! Approximately 40 parents volunteered their time and talents, several junior high students helped set up and many custodians worked long hours to make sure everything was in place for a wonderfully entertaining, super fun and safe evening! A special thanks to Stephanie O'Hara, After Prom Chairperson, for making it an evening to remember for our students! *After Prom is parent-sponsored but is not a function of the OJH/OHS PTO.
Guidance Hospitality Opportunities For our 2019-2020 school year, the PTO will again be assisting the Guidance Department as they welcome College Representatives to the school. Each year the guidance office hosts between 60-75 college reps, offering students the opportunity to learn about schools they may be interested in without traveling to the school.
Online Directory Change Our online directory software will be changing this summer. Just recently, we were informed that MSA has merged with Membership Toolkit and over the summer all schools will be transitioning to the new software.
But don't worry! Next year's online directory will have a new look and a new app, but you will still have access to the information you need! All data will be transferred to the new software automatically, but we will still be asking you to confirm your family's information as we have in the past. Be on the look out for more information about Membership Toolkit and your confirmation email this summer. We appreciate your patience and understanding through this transition process.
If you are not already in the directory and want to make sure you are added to the system before the transfer or if you have any other questions about the PTO directory, please contact Jennifer Makkas, Tricia Bauer and Erin Tomazic, the 2019-202 Directory Committee, at ojhsohspto1@gmail.com. They will make sure to get you updated and answer your questions.
Support the PTO While You Shop! Support the OJH/OHS PTO with DLM and Kroger Rewards, and Amazon Smile! These are simple ways to support your PTO.
To enroll/re-enroll for DLM: Visit the Dorothy Lane Market Good Neighbor Program website and follow the prompts.
To enroll for Kroger Rewards, go to the website. Click on Sign In/Register, enter account information. Under Community Rewards, click Enroll. Under Find Your Organization, select PO number 45494 for Oakwood Jr/Sr High PTO.
Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchases to our PTO. Simply click on the link to enroll: Amazon Smile Remember, always start at smile.amazon.com to make all your Amazon purchases.
What PTO Support Accomplished in 2018-2019 With your support, the PTO helped to enhance the educational opportunities for students this year. We supported programs that helped students succeed and let our teachers know that they are valued, as well as welcomed new parents to our great community. Here are a few specifics of what we accomplished this year:
All of the above was possible thanks to the volunteer and financial support of our PTO members! Thank you for all that you do for OJHS and OHS!
THANK YOU! To the following PTO (and After Prom) Volunteers: •A special thank you to this year's Executive Board and Committee Chairs for all of your hard work and dedication. Also a huge thank you to the PTO Committee Chairs who are stepping down after this school year; they have all gone above and beyond: Gina Sandoval, Krista Caley, Linda Miller, Kelly Pleiman, Doris Sills, Sally Lahmon, Molly Lunne and Julie Winch; A big thanks to After Prom volunteers Missy & Phil Schnell, Pam & Lee Clark, Allyson & John Danis, Molly & Dan Lunne, Prissy & Jack Hamilton, Jennifer & Bill Almoney, Tracy & Chris Pohl, Sara & JD Whitlock, Sabrina & Grant Neeley, Jeanne & Chris Boozell, Jamie Dewing, Kathy & Rick Michalo, Stephanie & James O'Hara, Sheila Eifert, Shari Malloy, Michele Farash, Mollie Armstrong, Jackie Jones, Jan Jewson, Kelli Schumacher, Melanie Frisbee, Lynn Behnke, Jamie Lewandowski, Lisa Henry, Julie Winch, Connie Filbrun, Dana Hochwalt, Sally Lahmon, Meredith Quigley, Debbie Gorman and Susan Purks.
A very special thank you to Sharon Kelly for her outstanding leadership as PTO President for the 2018-2019 school year! The PTO had another great year thanks to your hard work and dedication! SCHOOL CALENDARS WEBSITE/SOCIAL MEDIA Visit our website for more information about the OJH/OHS PTO, including how to become a member and upcoming events. |