As most of you know, I am a "new" mom this year—to the PTO that is! My son Jacob is a kindergarten student at Willett Elementary in Attleboro. Being new to the school, I was eager to become part of the PTO and be that active parent I yearned to be.
I have made every PTO meeting so far and and began volunteering for different events. One of my first major tasks was being asked to co-chair the Holiday Shop, which took place this past Friday. I accepted this challenge with anticipation of being involved in an event that was part of my son's school.
So maybe I didn't know what I was getting myself into from all that is involved in planning a school event. There is so much behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into it and so many steps you need to follow before the event can actually happen. Luckily, I was heading the operation with a partner, and was broken in by another mom.
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The day of the event, I arrived at Willett at 3 p.m. to begin the setup. We were fortunate to have volunteers in helping bring the event together. I had an Attleboro High School student helping me set up the stage for Santa and making sure it was picture-ready. We got a little silly trying to make the stage perfect and ringing up the lights, but it all worked itself out.
The vendors began arriving not long after and the gymnasium transformed into a spectacular holiday event. We had jewelry, lotions, crafts, scents and, my favorite—sweets! Before long, we were ready for our school community.
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Students eagerly arrived with their parents and grandparents. I was stationed with Santa, happily taking the children's photos. I enjoyed seeing familiar faces and meeting others. The students were thrilled to be able to shop for gifts and give Santa their lists.
After a few hours, the event ended and the families happily departed. With that, we were left to clean up. We picked raffles and transformed the gym back to the way we found it. It was a very busy job, but one I will happily take on next year.
I highly recommend you join the PTO for your child's school. You form great relationships with the community your child is a part of each day. I can say with a smile I am glad to be part of mine.
