Harrington Elementary PTO Earns Honorable Mention for 2013-2014 Parent Group of the Year

Harrington Elementary PTO Earns Honorable Mention for 2013-2014 “Parent Group of the Year”

The Harrington Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization (HPTO) in Chelmsford, Massachusetts is pleased to announce that they earned an Honorable Mention for “Parent Group of the Year” for 2013-2014. The “Parent Group of the Year” is an annual contest sponsored by PTO Today Magazine, and recognizes outstanding organizational achievement in school enrichment, events, and volunteerism. “Parent Group of the Year” award recipients are selected from among elementary and middle school parent groups across the country.

The Harrington PTO started the 2013-2014 school year with an almost completely new set of Officers and Board members due to natural transitioning as past volunteers’ children moved on to higher grades. Some of the new Officers and event chairpersons had never worked with the HPTO before. But the HPTO Board stepped up to the challenge and motivated other parents to help out by offering new volunteer opportunities and educating the Harrington Elementary community about HPTO programs. Under the leadership of President Justyn Thoren, the group also developed an HPTO mission statement and bylaws, created a new logo and group slogan, and started a Facebook page to create more awareness of HPTO activities. Working with Harrington Principal Mike LaCava and the Harrington teachers and staff, the HPTO successfully expanded student enrichment programs, increased funds for programs, and set the groundwork for a strong HPTO in the years to come.

A detailed description of the 2014 Harrington Heritage Fest was submitted to PTO Today as a prime example of the HPTO’s work. This new evening event was created to celebrate the worldwide customs and traditions of the Harrington school community, and featured music and dance performances, international food to sample, vendors from the Chelmsford community, and parent tables highlighting national and international traditions. “Passports” were available to Harrington students for visiting the various parent tables, cultural story telling was held throughout the evening, and students learned themed songs during music classes to sing at an all-school assembly before the event. Harrington teachers arranged for each classroom to create heritage-themed projects to display throughout the school, and many teachers attended the evening event to share the excitement with their students. The Harrington Heritage Fest promises to be a new and popular Harrington tradition, and plans are already underway for next year’s Heritage Fest on February 3, 2015.

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The Harrington PTO recognizes its many volunteers and event committee members, with special appreciation to 2013-2014 Board members Justyn Thoren (President), Brandi Tracy and Amy Morrisette (Vice Presidents), Barbara Schenck, Cathy Enwright, and Jen Kostka (Co-Treasurers), and Jill Brennan (Secretary).

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The Harrington Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization (HPTO) is a non-profit, volunteer organization that works to support, enhance and enrich the Harrington school experience to benefit students, faculty, staff, families and the local community. For more information on events and programs, or to become an HPTO volunteer, please contact 2014-2015 Co-Presidents Mary Lou Kelly, Jennifer Perry, and Barbara Schenck at HarringtonPTO@hotmail.com or c/o Harrington PTO, 120 Richardson Road, North Chelmsford, MA 01863. You can also find us online at www.chelmsford.k12.ma.us or on Facebook under “Harrington PTO.”

For more information on the Harrington School, please visit http://www.chelmsford.k12.ma.us/harrington