Honor Roll: Leslee Tejada Finds a Role for Every Parent
Leslee Tejada, a board member of the PTO at the International Spanish Language Academy in Minnetonka, Minn., inspired us with her efforts to find a role for every parent who wants to get involved.
Leslee Tejada is a firm believer in the theater adage “There are no small parts.” That philosophy is behind her success at involving parents at the K-8 International Spanish Language Academy, in Minnetonka, Minn. Whether parents are collecting box tops or combing a child’s hair on picture day, to Tejada, their supporting roles all play a major part in helping build a great school. And finding just the right role for everyone is a job Tejada has performed rather well as both volunteer coordinator and vice chair of community events and extracurriculars.
Tejada, who was widowed in 2007, has two children at ISLA, Fionna, 10, and Gianni, 8. As volunteer coordinator, she says she first gets to know each parent personally so she can identify that parent’s motivation and strengths. “The more I know the families, the easier it is to recognize who to call on,” Tejada explains. When the school needed more committee members for a facility search, for example, she called on the parents she knew in the real estate and architecture fields.
“I know which parents are available during the day, which have younger siblings [of students], who is a photographer, painter, etc.,” she says. The result is a ready and capable network of parents to help with the school yearbook, a booth at the town fair, and even the year-end rummage sale.
Tejada has also planned several events to help families connect to the school. She initiated the school’s Dia de Los Muertos celebration in which families play lotería (a Mexican version of bingo) and make an ofrenda (“offering”) to loved ones who have passed away. In May, she coordinated a family event in which students showcased projects from the school’s grant-funded recycling program. In recognition of those efforts, another board member nominated Tejada for a 2009 Minnesota Vikings Community Quarterback Award.
ISLA executive director Karen Terhaar describes Tejada as an advocate for families. “She has her behind-the-scenes role, but she attends every event and stays late to clean up consistently,” Terhaar says. “She not only gets others to help out, she models by working so hard herself.”
That hard work is paying off; involvement in the PTO and ISLA’s fundraising efforts is thriving. Says Tejada, “I feel great about the community that has been built, and it is getting bigger.”
