Minerva France Elementary has an official PTA following Wednesday’s meeting where they were chartered by the Ohio PTA.
The organizational meeting took place in the Minerva France Railway Cafe, which was packed with families, faculty, and staff. Among those in attendance: Superintendent Dr. John Kellogg; Dr. Garrett Carter, principal of Minerva Park Middle School; Rachel Crites, president of Westerville Parent Council; and three members of the Ohio PTA Board of Directors.
During the meeting, attendees voted to establish the PTA and approve its bylaws. They paid annual membership dues of $6 and elected the PTA’s Board of Directors. Five volunteers were elected to the board and three Minerva France staff members will serve on the board as well: Tyson Hilkert, principal; Dee Stewart, fifth-grade teacher; and Cirrus Robinson, first-grade teacher.
About a half dozen volunteers have been working in conjunction with the Ohio PTA and the Westerville Parent Council since early June to establish a parent group for the new elementary school. Volunteers chose to become a local unit of the Ohio PTA, a branch of National PTA, because of the education, resources, support, and training PTA can provide. Over the summer, volunteers wrote a set of bylaws and recruited five volunteers as nominees for officer roles. The planning team met weekly throughout the summer.
In addition to completing the requirements to become a local PTA unit, the volunteers secured donations for Popsicles with the Principals in early August and put together a first-day-of-school appreciation treat for the faculty and staff at Minerva France.
“It is an honor to be part of this moment,” said Minerva France PTA President Sandra Ospino. “It’s wonderful to see this building come to life with community support for our foundation in PTA work. I’m so thankful for this opportunity.”
Ryan Hilperts, Alcott PTA special projects coordinator and past PTA president, served as the Westerville Parent Council liaison to the Minerva France PTA planning team.
“It was so encouraging to watch these volunteers jump into this project with both feet and lay a strong foundation for their PTA,” she said. “The volunteers who worked on this during the summer as well as those elected to their new PTA Board are enthusiastic, caring, and motivated to support this new community.”