The aspiration behind the parents’ campaign for the Local School Council election was to strengthen Boone Elementary School and have a positive impact on student education. We parents are confident that the LSC, which is made up of the principal, six parents, two teachers and two community representatives, is one place where our communal efforts can boost productivity and learning standards.
A special workshop was arranged for the parent leaders in order to give them an understanding of the work of the LSC. Parents learned the importance of the upcoming LSC election and how it is vital that the very diverse population at the school is represented on the LSC. They also learned that parents can make decisions about the budget, the school improvement plan, and can help to shape a better educational institution for their children.
“How to Run a Successful Campaign,” was the main goal of the training session organized for parents who decided to run for the LSC. Important strategies illuminated how to connect with parents and community members and garner support and votes on Election Day. Parents utilized the valuable training in the most effective ways. Parent leaders embarked on their campaigns during drop off and pick up times by mingling with other parents and circulating flyers elaborating why the LSC is important for parents and persuading them to participate in the election. The diverse makeup of our school is reflected in the many different languages spoken by the students’ parents: Urdu, Spanish, Hindi, and Arabic. Parent Leaders set out across Devon Avenue to distribute handouts to local businesses and to ask for votes on LSC Election Day. Neighborhood churches, libraries and social service agencies were approached by these parents going door to door enlightening the community of the significance of the LSC and seeking encouragement and support on Election Day.
A subsequent focal point was the Candidate’s Forum where parent candidates provided extremely confident and commendable presentations.
At last the anticipated day commenced with more striving efforts. Dressed in beautiful white T-shirts with a logo “Do you want your voice to be heard?” parent candidates sat on a table on the public side walk in the cold, chilly and windy weather. These parents interacted more than ever. They distributed flyers and sweet treats for the kids. They appealed again to all the parents arriving to pick up their child’s progress report and convinced them to cast their vote in the LSC election.
Our faces brightened up with beam and laughter. All our hard work paid off. To our delight, all our four parent candidates were elected to the LSC. These parents represent a diverse group of individuals from India, Assyria, Venezuela and Serbia. Having firm faith, “WHEN PARENTS ORGANIZE THEY HAVE POWER AND CAN MAKE A CHANGE”, parent leaders triumphed.
