Idea Gallery 2010

Junk to Jewels

What can you do with 30 boxes of buttons, misfit game pieces, worn rugs, scratched CDs, empty soda cans, silk pajamas, broken umbrellas, outdated magazines, and cracked swim goggles? Well, at New Garden Elementary in Toughkenamon, Pa., the answer is make art! As part of the RecyclArt Program, the school’s art teacher, along with glue-gun-wielding PTO volunteers, led groups of students in creating imaginative sculptures from families’ donated junk. The sculptures were displayed during parent-teacher conferences and later exhibited at the Delaware Art Museum.

Popping With Excitement

PTO leaders at White Oak Elementary in Newnan, Ga., sent home a popcorn bag with students to advertise their upcoming family movie event; attendees who brought that bag could get a popcorn fill-up for free. The night, which featured Alvin and the Chipmunks II, drew more than 300 attendees.

Winter Fun

Snow Kidding!
Families at the Ashland (Maine) Central School PTO’s Winter Wonderland celebration ended the evening with an indoor snowball fight. But there was no drippy mess to clean up afterward; the snowballs were made from crumpled tissue paper.

Ice Oasis
It was no mirage; families at Desert Vista Elementary in Apache Junction, Ariz., really did see an outdoor skating rink at their PTO’s Holiday Extravaganza. Besides skating on a synthetic ice surface, families enjoyed a visit with Santa, who arrived on a fire truck.

Motown Hit

During the 2010 school year, PTA leaders at Oak Park Elementary in Tampa, Fla., opted for a Motown Review instead of their traditional talent show. Throughout the show, students and teachers performed musical numbers from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Donations of costumes and wardrobe items were secured from faculty and community members for students who could not afford to buy their own. Students practiced their acts after school in the weeks leading up to the event.

Fall-ing Profits

The Santa Ynez (Calif.) Valley Charter School PTSO’s Fall Harvest Festival and Fundraiser included games, a taco dinner with live music, and sales of student-grown pumpkins. One classroom conducted a Halloween costume sale, while another sold homemade applesauce. Each classroom also made a scarecrow, which got auctioned off to bidders that day. The festival raised more than $4,000 for the school.

Hammer Time

Students in grades 4-8 at St. Barnabas Catholic School in Northfield, Ohio, now have a place for everything thanks to a team of dads from the school’s PTU. The fathers built special cubicles near the school’s foyer, providing a handy spot for students’ belongings during lunch, recess, gym, or library time.

Reading Rocks!

A Real Page-Turner
The fall book fair and family fun night run by the Robert Benjamin Wiley Community Charter School PTO in Erie, Pa., was a best-seller. Students and parents played games, entered raffles, and purchased books. Families, friends, and faculty members wrote notes of encouragement to students taking the upcoming mandatory state tests. Parents operated the registers, and a crew of students helped with setup, assisted shoppers, restocked shelves, and packed up at the end of the night.

Books for Bucks
As a fundraiser, the Otwell (Ind.) Elementary PTO purchases “summer bridge activities” books in bulk, then sells them to families. The books help keep students academically focused over the summer; they also raise funds to support the school’s physical education budget.

Ask and You Shall...

Each newsletter published by the Pleasant Knoll Elementary PTO in Fort Mill, S.C., poses a “question of the month” for students. The PTO publishes their answers in the next month’s issue and on the website. One recent question asked, “If a genie could grant PKES one wish, what should it be?” Answers ranged from “two days off from school” to “more books and playground supplies.” Students can only hope!

World Wonder

Families at Gullett Elementary in Austin, Texas, didn’t have to fly across the pond to visit Big Ben this spring. A miniature cardboard-and-foam replica of London’s famous landmark decorated one of the mini-golf course holes built by parent volunteers for the PTA carnival. Families enjoying the course also got to linger among the pyramids, which, remarkably, volunteers built in just a few days.

Show ’em the Love

Heartfelt Appreciation
The Stanbridge Academy SPA in San Mateo, Calif., goes out of its way to show appreciation for the school’s teachers and staff members. Parent volunteers provide monthly snacks, plus boxes of homemade cookies at the holidays; they also conduct a special “Soup From the Heart” appreciation luncheon for Valentine’s Day.

Gay Paree
For their “Springtime in Paris” luncheon during Teacher Appreciation Week, PTG members at Assumption School in Bellevue, Pa., transformed a room into a French café. Contributions by the parent group included the finest homemade French cuisine and décor. One young music student even provided his services as a strolling violist.

You Can't Put a Price on It

Here’s a yard sale tip from the Hiawatha Community School PTO in Minneapolis: Don’t tag it! Instead of pricing items at their fall garage sale, leaders let customers decide what to pay. Organizers found that this strategy made setup much easier and brought in more profits than the traditional pricing method did.

Taking Teamwork Outside

Leaders of the Northeast Elementary PTO in Brighton, Colo., know a thing or two about collaboration. To help with the design and construction of their outdoor classroom, they enlisted help from University of Colorado at Boulder students. The PTO also secured donations of concrete benches and 23 trees from local businesses. School district officials provided a sound barrier and a shade structure. At the parent group’s Community Plant Day in May, 50 people completed the task of planting the trees and setting the benches.

Just for Moms and Sons

The mother-and-son fun day held by the George Whitlow Elementary PTA in Cumming, Ga., got some help from the rest of the family. So that moms could take part, dads and grandparents helped run the event. Moms hiked, decorated T-shirts, searched for items in a scavenger hunt, and even held snakes with their sons.

A Ton of Food

Parent leaders representing Baker and Steeby elementaries in Wayland, Mich., launched a “Fired Up for the Community” clothing and supplies collection for their town. Parents deco rated collection boxes for each classroom and asked students and families to collect staples such as food, deodorant, shampoo, and laundry detergent. Each student who brought in a donation was awarded with a school spirit shirt for the good deed. Families collected more than 1 ton of goods for their local pantry.

Never Leave Home Without It

The Creative Arts Charter School FA in San Francisco has devised an ingenious way of reminding school parents about the group’s “passive fundraisers”: Leaders created a handy business card for families to carry. It lists the websites and account numbers for all local stores and online retail partners that will donate a percentage of purchases to the school.

Exploring Science

Making Waves With Ocean Night
Families at the Horn Academy in Bellaire, Texas, got to dive into cool activities at their school’s Ocean Night. Two teachers coordinated the event, which featured a tide pool touch tank, live sharks, a water cycle game, and microscopes with sand samples from around the world. Houston’s Downtown Aquarium entertainment complex attended as a business partner, and the Houston Conchology Society distributed gift packs of seashells for each child. PTO leaders offered a convenient dinner for a small charge, which made it easy for working parents to attend with their children. A tasting table featured foods that come from the ocean; students gave the seaweed wraps a thumbs-up.

Mixing Science and Snacks
The super-spooky science night held by the Longfellow Elementary Math & Science Magnet School PTA in Westerville, Ohio, served up a successful concoction of fun and learning. Thanks to a few parent scientists, students got to participate in several hands-on experiments related to chemistry and physics. One of the biggest hits: a smoking cauldron of liquid nitrogen that made frozen marshmallow treats.

Getting the Juices Flowing

The Watch DOGS (Dads of Great Students) group at Diablo Vista Elementary in Antioch, Calif., ran a “morning workout” to get kids more active. Participants met before school on Tuesdays and Thursdays for running and stretching. The sessions were designed to boost blood flow and brain activity.

Top Turkey

Each year, the Cold Harbor Elementary PTA in Mechanicsville, Va., holds a “Turkey Court” dinner for families to top off its canned goods drive. The teacher whose class collects the most cans is crowned Turkey Queen (or King). She then parades down a red carpet lined with all the cans that were collected.