Category: Spring Recognition

Nominate Someone Who Makes a Difference: 2026 Spring Recognition Awards

3/11/2026

Every school community has people who go above and beyond. The volunteers who step in whenever help is needed. The educators who inspire students every day. The advocates who speak up to make schools stronger for all children.

Each year, Northshore Council PTSA recognizes these extraordinary individuals through our annual Recognition Awards. And nominations are now open. If someone in your school community has made a meaningful impact, this is your chance to help celebrate their work.

Nominations Now Open
2026 Northshore Council PTSA Awards Nomination Form
Click the link above to submit a nomination.

Deadline: April 14, 2026
You are welcome to submit nominations for more than one person.

Every year, we look for nominations for the following awards:

Outstanding Educator – Honors individuals who go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs to make the learning environment fun, beneficial and challenging. An educator is not limited to a teacher and may be defined as a teacher, assistant, specialist, support staff, administrator, or community member.
Outstanding Advocate – Honors individuals for their continued and dedicated service to ALL children demonstrating a commitment to speaking up for children in the areas relating to health, welfare, safety, and education of children and youth.
Outstanding Service - This is the highest volunteer award given by the Washington State PTA. It is awarded to someone who has gone beyond his or her own school community, job, or PTA in order to give dedicated volunteer service to children. Note: This award may only be given by a council. Local PTA members are encouraged to nominate deserving volunteers to the council for this recognition.
Honorary Life Membership – Recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to a PTA at the local unit, council, or state level. This special award can be given by a PTA unit, council, or region.
Outstanding Student Advocate Award - Recognizes students who have made significant contributions through leadership and service in their school and community.
Golden Acorn – A Golden Acorn Award is presented to a Northshore Council PTSA volunteer in recognition of their dedication and service to children and youth.

Learn more about Council Awards or view our previous award recipients.
Questions? Contact Council Awards Committee.

Congratulations to our 2024 Recognition Award Recipients!

6/16/2024

During the Spring Recognition Brunch on June 7, 2024, Northshore Council PTSA recognized a few special people who go above and beyond in service to our community and promote the well-being and education of children in our district and beyond. Below are this year's Northshore Council PTSA Recognition Awards Recipients.

Outstanding Educator Award
The Outstanding Educator Award honors individuals who go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs to make the learning environment fun, beneficial and challenging.
Northshore Council PTSA’s Outstanding Educator this year goes to Renee Nicholas from Frank Love Elementary.
Renee teaches with passion, competency and empathy. During covid she routinely drove to students’ homes to leave off supplies and little gifts, building a beautiful connection with kids even when they could not be in person, remembering their siblings too. Thoughtful is an under exaggeration when it comes to describe Renee, she is loving, kind, caring and a true mentor for her students. When it comes to giving positive encouragement, I am amazed how she does it even when kids can have 'bumps' as she describes. Renee has been known to write 3-page letters for multiple students’ reports detailing their strengths, accomplishments and positive supportive feedback. She is truly exceptional. She has been teaching at Frank Love Elementary School since it opened and has trained many staff and administrators to be successful in their roles. Even in her last few weeks of school she is all in, guiding students to do their best academically and socially. She truly believes in helping kids be the best version of themselves.
Three words to describe her are exceptional, dedicated and patient.
Congratulations, Renee!

Outstanding Educator Award
Our second Outstanding Educator award goes to a teacher nominated for his exceptional work as a music educator. The learning environment he has created is second to none, he has a magnetic personality and is a teacher extraordinaire, which shows in every way possible but especially in the way that the students look up to and respect him while they work hard for their common goal of creating a great music experience. This teacher instills confidence in his students and empowers them to explore their passion and to expand their skills under his thoughtful guidance and encouragement. He is the kind of teacher which some of us are lucky enough to encounter in our formative school years and later will recognize and think of as the one teacher that truly made a difference for our growth and willingness to do our very best. He enables a safe, respectful, supportive and highly productive learning environment, goes the extra mile in class, during concert performances and in giving all students opportunities to showcase their talents. This teacher doesn’t just rock his job during the school day, but he comes to school early to teach jazz band before school starts and the students willingly show up at school at 7 am to spend time learning from and with him because they see the potential in what comes of this kind of respectful and giving student-teacher relationship.
Three words to describe this person are dedicated, impactful, and cherished by his students.
Our second Outstanding Educator Award goes to Cole Van Gerpen of Canyon Park Middle School. Congratulations!

Outstanding Student Advocate Award
The Outstanding Student Advocate Award recognizes students who have made significant contributions through leadership and service in their school and community.
Our recipient of this award this year has been involved in ASB the past few years, but her advocacy goes beyond work in student government. This student was also actively involved in advocating for youth mental health the past few years, having written a book on the subject, created “Emotion” cards and hosted Mental Health fairs. This student is currently partnering with the Northshore School District on the Mental Health projects, one of which is the launch of Nexus, an online platform that provides self-support to students using vetted strategies and peer talks, available 24/7 to all NSD students.
Three words to describe this student are good-hearted, ambitious, well-meaning.
Our Outstanding Student Advocate this year is Taanvi Arekapudi. Congratulations!

Golden Acorn Award
The Golden Acorn Award is presented to a Northshore Council PTSA volunteer in recognition of their dedication and service to children and youth. This year’s recipient has been involved in local PTAs at all levels, as well as Council. She is also involved with and supports local community organizations. In addition to her role on Council she frequently volunteers for committees and puts a lot of time into events such as Spring Recognition and the Presidents and Principals event. She is always willing to lend a hand when someone needs a graphic or flyer or tech help. Her work on Council directly resulted in at least two of the awards Council received from WSPTA last month. As if putting out a bi-weekly newsletter wasn’t already a lot for a volunteer position, imagine how un-fun that must be when people constantly forget to send her material for the newsletter despite her very clear communication of deadlines :P. Our community has benefited from her work as she is constantly finding resources, parent education classes, and community events to share about in our communications. As the VP of Communications, she not only creates and publishes our newsletter, but also manages our website and social media accounts. She is a Communications Rock Star.
Three words that describe this person are dependable, creative, and knowledgeable
This year’s recipient of the Golden Acorn award from Northshore Council PTSA is Jennifer Snyder. Congratulations!

Honorary Life Membership Award
The Honorary Life Membership Award recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to a PTA at the local unit, council, or state level.
This year’s recipient of the Honorary Life Membership Award has served at every local level of PTA, in addition to her four years on Council and two years at the Region level. She can be seen at almost every Council event, and frequently volunteers for various committees. She has been a wonderful resource to our PTAs, willing to jump in and support new Presidents in their roles. If she doesn’t have the answer to a question, she will find an answer for people. In her first Council position, she stepped into giant shoes to fill, as the previous VP of Communications had set a high bar. This person raised the bar. She is always so thorough, well-organized and knowledgeable in her communications. In her current role as Council President, this person has brought a lot of energy to Council meetings and events. She also strives to ensure that all perspectives are heard and understood before moving on to a vote. She has challenged Northshore Council board members to look at additional ways we can serve our local PTAs, as well as gathering resources and information from not only PTA sources, but also from the district and the community. Under this person’s leadership, Northshore Council PTSA recently received the Outstanding PTA of the Year award from Washington State PTA.
Three words to describe this person are energetic, knowledgeable, and motivating.
This year’s recipient of Honorary Life Membership Award from Northshore Council PTSA is Rachel Fitzgerald. Congratulations!

Outstanding Advocate Award
Northshore Council PTSA’s Outstanding Advocate this year is Terra Droney. The Outstanding Advocate Award honors individuals for their continued and dedicated service to ALL children demonstrating a commitment to speaking up for children in the areas relating to health, welfare, safety, and education of children and youth. Terra has had a district-wide reach in their advocacy this year. She was a founding member of the NSEC PTSA, serving as Co-President in its inaugural year. She also does a lot of work with the Nourishing Networks organization to build connections with NSD to combat food insecurity, as well as advocated in the community for affordable housing and other supports to those in need. In her role as Co-VP of Advocacy for Council, this person further supported our community by helping to organize the Candidate Forum and Focus Day.
Three words to describe this person are committed, involved, and compassionate.
Congratulations, Terra!

,Outstanding Service Award
The Outstanding Service Award is the highest volunteer award given by the Washington State PTA. It is awarded to someone who has gone beyond his or her own school community, job, or PTA in order to give dedicated volunteer service to children.
This year’s recipient of the Outstanding Service Award has been very involved in PTA and Booster groups at their children’s school and has served on NSD task forces for Student Safety and Wellness as well as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, but what she is most known for is her desire to help students and families with disabilities. After spending a couple years as the Special Ed Representative/Liaison on Council, this person saw a bigger way that she could help students with disabilities and their families. She was the driving force of getting the NSEC PTSA chartered and has spent a lot of time to make sure that this new PTSA is set up for success both as a PTSA and as a resource to help families and students who need it. She has established a connection with district administration (especially with those who oversee Special Education services), and has set up monthly meetings (starting over 2 years ago) with the current administrator in charge of Special Education to better understand district plans for serving Special Education students, and to act as a communication bridge between the district and families concerning policies and procedures, etc. While this person may seem soft spoken, she is an outstanding advocate who has given countless hours to help make a better Northshore community for our students.
Three words to describe this person are dedicated, determined and effective.
Northshore Council PTSA’s 2024 Outstanding Service Award recipient is Laura Staneff. Congratulations!

A special thank you to this year's Awards Committee members, Grace Juardo and Melissa Kline.

Learn more about PTA Recogntion Awards and how your PTA can recognize those who go above and beyond in your school community.

2023-2024 WSPTA Awards of Excellence & Membership Growth Awards

6/16/2024

Awards of Excellence

Each year, Washington State PTA recognizes the work of individuals, PTAs, and Councils across the state via a variety of awards, including Leadership Academy and the Awards of Excellence Program. Ruby Bridges Elementary PTSA, Woodinville High School PTSA, and Northshore Council PTSA submitted applications and were recognized for their efforts at the 2024 WSPTA Annual Convention and Business Meeting held on May 17th - 19th.

Awards work to celebrate the efforts of local PTAs and Councils in a variety of different areas. The criteria reflect a strong knowledge and application of best practices and the submission process can be rigorous. These awards are truly reflective of the dedication and strength of these PTAs and the powerful contributions they make to their communities.

Congratulations to all!

Outstanding Communication Strategy
Recognizing the effective use of multiple communication channels to reach members and community.

Northshore Council PTSA - Gold
Ruby Bridges Elementary PTSA - Gold

Outstanding Website
Recognizing the effective use of websites as a communication tool.

Northshore Council PTSA - Gold
Ruby Bridges Elementary PTSA - Silver
Woodinville High School PTSA - Bronze

Standards of Excellence
Recognizing the effective use of WSPTA best practices as a guide for local PTAs and Councils to be child-focused, responsible to members, knowledgeable, fiscally responsible, involved, and well-trained.

Northshore Council PTSA - Platinum

Outstanding Newsletter
Recognizing the effective use of newsletters as a communication tool.

Northshore Council PTSA - Silver

Learn more about the WSPTA Standards of Excellence Awards and Leadership Awards and apply for your PTA next year.

Membership Growth Awards

Congratulations to our Northshore PTA/PTSAs that have earned
WSPTA Membership Awards in 2023-2024!!

100% Staff Membership Award Gold Level
Gold Level recognizes local PTAs that have enrolled the same number of staff as the number of certificated staff in their school building. This year WSPTA had 33 local PTAs that earned this award.

Innovation Lab High School PTSA

Membership Growth Awards:
To highlight the importance of membership growth, Washington State PTA recognizes local PTAs for enrolling more members than they did in the previous year. As PTAs achieve incremental increases in membership growth, they are recognized for each milestone they reach.

*As of May 17, 2024. Growth awards can be earned through the end of June!

Membership Growth Awards

Bronze Award: recognizes local PTAs, in good standing, for enrolling at least one more member than their previous year’s total membership.
Silver Award: recognizes local PTAs, in good standing, for enrolling PTA members equaling at least 105% of their previous year’s total membership.
Gold Award: recognizes local PTAs, in good standing, for enrolling PTA members equaling at least 110% of their previous year’s total membership.
Platinum Award: recognizes local PTAs, in good standing, for enrolling PTA members equaling at least 120% of their previous year’s total membership.

Membership resources can be found on WSPTA's website.

Share Your Local PTA/PTSA Recognition Award Recipients with Council

5/5/2024

Awards are a great way for PTAs to show their community how much they appreciate them and to celebrate the dedication of those who support your PTA's mission and goals!

We would love to shine the spotlight on your 2023-2024 PTA award winners!

Does your PTA give out a Golden Acorn award? Maybe an Outstanding Educator, or an Outstanding Advocate award? Or more? Please share with us this year's recipient(s) by completing this form.

We would like to create a list of all of our local PTA award winners to share with the community. These volunteers deserve to be celebrated!!!

If possible, please let us know your award winners by Friday, May 31st so they can be celebrated in our last eNews of the school year!

Questions? Contact Jenn Snyder at [email protected].

Learn more about the WSPTA Volunteer Recognition Awards
WSPTA has a formal volunteer award recognition program allowing local PTAs to award honors for outstanding educator, advocate, student advocate, and volunteer (Golden Acorn), as well as the honorary life membership award.

Local PTAs should appoint an awards committee who will gather nominations, review them, and choose the award recipients. This can be done during a meeting or some PTAs even choose to have the previous year's award recipients chair this committee. Check your Standing Rules as it may say who is on the committee. When the awards committee advertises for nomination submissions, it can be done via social media, newsletters, website, email, or even school flyers. To make it even easier for members to submit nominations, the awards committee can create an online submission form using tools like Google Forms or Survey Monkey.

For recognizing the award recipients, your PTA can hold a volunteer recognition event or take time during a Membership Meeting to celebrate them. WSPTA offers a variety of items your PTA can order online to celebrate your award recipients including certificates, pins, plaques, and even yard signs!

Local PTAs may award the following within their local community:

Golden Acorn – presented to volunteer(s) in recognition of their dedication and service to children and youth in your community.
Outstanding Advocate – Honors individuals for their continued and dedicated service to ALL children demonstrating a commitment to speaking up for children in the areas relating to health, welfare, safety, and education of children and youth.
Honorary Life Membership – Recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to a PTA at the local unit, council, or state level. This special award can be given by a PTA unit, council, or region.
Outstanding Student Advocate Award - Recognizes students who have made significant contributions through leadership and service in their school and community.
Outstanding Educator – Individuals who go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs to make the learning environment fun, beneficial and challenging.

More information is available on the WSPTA Volunteer Recognition Awards page.

Nominate Someone for a 2024 Northshore Council PTSA Award!

3/30/2024

We all know people within our community who give a little extra, work a little harder, and who are always volunteering!

Now YOU can help us recognize these people by nominating them for a Northshore Council PTSA Recognition Award!

Nominations Now Being Accepted!
2024 Northshore Council PTSA Awards Nomination Form
Click link to complete form.

Nominations deadline Monday, May 5, 2024!
Multiple submissions can be completed for multiple nominees!

Every year, we look for nominations for the following awards:

Outstanding Educator – Honors individuals who go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs to make the learning environment fun, beneficial and challenging. An educator is not limited to a teacher and may be defined as a teacher, assistant, specialist, support staff, administrator, or community member.
Outstanding Advocate – Honors individuals for their continued and dedicated service to ALL children demonstrating a commitment to speaking up for children in the areas relating to health, welfare, safety, and education of children and youth.
Outstanding Service - This is the highest volunteer award given by the Washington State PTA. It is awarded to someone who has gone beyond his or her own school community, job, or PTA in order to give dedicated volunteer service to children. Note: This award may only be given by a council. Local PTA members are encouraged to nominate deserving volunteers to the council for this recognition.
Honorary Life Membership – Recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to a PTA at the local unit, council, or state level. This special award can be given by a PTA unit, council, or region.
Outstanding Student Advocate Award - Recognizes students who have made significant contributions through leadership and service in their school and community.
Golden Acorn – A Golden Acorn Award is presented by a local PTA or council to a school or community volunteer in recognition of her or his dedication and service to children and youth.

Learn more about Council Awards or view our previous award recipients.

Questions? Contact Council Awards Committee.

Save the Date: Spring Recognition Brunch
Friday, June 7, 2024.
If you are interested in joining the planning committee, please contact VP of Events,
Melissa Bennett [email protected].
The first meeting will be held on Thursday, April 18 at 7 PM via Zoom.

Congratulations to our 2023 Recognition Award Recipients!

6/19/2023

During the Spring Recognition Brunch on June 6, 2023, Northshore Council PTSA recognized a few special people who go above and beyond in service to our community and promotes the well-being and education of children in our district and beyond. Below is this year's Northshore Council PTSA Recognition Awards Recipients.

Outstanding Advocate - Amelie Fry
The Outstanding Student Advocate Award recognizes students who have made significant contributions through leadership and service in their school and community. Northshore Council PTSA’s 2023 Outstanding Student Advocate is Amelie Fry. Amelie has served on Northshore School District’s student board for three years, organized voter registration drives and worked hard to get youth involved in local politics. She has also been in attendance at several School Board meetings, even getting up to speak at some—not an easy task for a teenager to do these days. Amelie has worked with Northshore Council’s mental health and DEI committees, recently presenting at Council’s RARE event. She is also passionate about the arts, having participated in Council’s Reflections program, both as a contestant and for two years as a volunteer judge. This student is dedicated to helping others. Congratulations, Amelie!

Outstanding Service - Kelly Hennessey
The Outstanding Service Award is the highest volunteer award given by the Washington State PTA. It is awarded to someone who has gone beyond his or her own school community, job, or PTA in order to give dedicated volunteer service to children. This year, the Outstanding Service Award was presented to Kelly Hennessey. Like many other PTA volunteers, Kelly balances a career and family with volunteer work on her local PTA boards as well as other youth sports boards, and does an amazing job in those roles alone. However, there is another role Kelly occupies that has had a major impact on families across the district. For several years, she has been the driving force behind Threads and Treads, a free clothing bank for families in the Northshore School District. Her time is not limited to looking for grants or setting up clothing donation drives; she also coordinates a core group of adult volunteers and organizes youth volunteers throughout the school year to provide a space for students and their families to come “shop” for clothing. The environment she has created has helped families feel welcome and relaxed, it provides a space where people not only shop for clothes but also feel part of a community. Congratulations, Kelly!

Outstanding Advocate - Juliana Fisher
The Outstanding Advocate Award honors individuals for their continued and dedicated service to ALL children demonstrating a commitment to speaking up for children in the areas relating to health, welfare, safety, and education of children and youth. Northshore Council PTSA’s 2023 Outstanding Advocate is Juliana Fisher, Northshore School District’s Director of Food Services. Juliana has seen firsthand the benefits of the free lunch for all program last school year for Northshore students and has advocated in Olympia for increased funding. She has also worked to create more varied communication of school lunch menus, including social media and a visual menu that makes the menu more accessible to elementary students and students with disabilities. In addition to her work behind the scenes, Juliana has presented at local PTAs as well as Council to help educate families, provide resources and talk about current legislation in Washington state related to school meals. Congratulations, Juliana!

Golden Acorn - Mary Khouzam
The Golden Acorn Award is presented to a Northshore Council PTSA volunteer in recognition of their dedication and service to children and youth. This year's Golden Acorn was presented to Mary Khouzam. The Nominators’ words to describe Mary include compassionate, dedicated, professional and inspiring. Mary has been a staple on the boards of many local PTAs over the years, as well as on Northshore Council PTSA’s board the past three years. She frequently volunteers to be on committees, asking balanced questions and bringing up a fresh perspective to make sure all angles are considered. Mary has created subcommittees to work on proposals put before Council, looking first for perspective or background on the issue at hand and then holding productive, task-based meetings to keep things on point. This year, with no VP of Events, Mary stepped in to ensure that Council could put on two major events in person for the first time in three years. Congratulations, Mary!

Outstanding Educator - Cheryl Klemz
The Outstanding Educator Award honors individuals who go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs to make the learning environment fun, beneficial, and challenging. One of two Outstanding Educator Awards was presented to Cheryl Klemz of Canyon Park Middle School. Cheryl has been teaching secondary school in the Northshore School District for 20 years. She is well-respected by their fellow staff members, having served on several school committees including SDLT, Climate and Culture Committee and more. Cheryl has created a classroom environment where all students feel welcome to share their talents and ideas without ridicule or judgement. Her classroom is a safe space for middle school students to be themselves, with many opting to hang out there during lunch time to hang out, be silly or just to connect with her. Perhaps the best way to summarize her impact is in the words of current and past students. “She is an engaging and enthusiastic teacher. She always told stories and her love of drama made me and others love drama. She was always aware of the students and would pull in anyone who was off by themselves. She let me be myself.” “She is so fun and outgoing! She makes acting on stage so interactive and I never feel anxious with her there!” “She is a truly amazing teacher! Not only does she put up with rowdy middle schoolers but she instructs them and guides them to create fully fledged productions. She inspires and empowers her students to work hard and explore their talents. She wants everyone to get their chance to shine, so much so that she goes through the trouble of managing not one but sometimes more than six different casts for a single show!” Congratulations, Cheryl!

Outstanding Educator - Christy Lipke
The Outstanding Educator Award honors individuals who go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs to make the learning environment fun, beneficial and challenging. Northshore Council PTSA’s Outstanding Educator Award was also given to Christy Lipke of Woodin Elementary. Christy has been teaching in the Northshore School District for several years. She teaches our youngest learners and creates an experience for these students and their families that welcomes and includes all of them into the school community as well as fosters a love of learning. She utilizes several different communication tools to create a bridge from school to home where everyone feels connected, informed and equipped to help students succeed. Visitors to her kindergarten classroom note that the students are engaged, learning continuously, and are genuinely loved by their teacher. Christy's commitment to her students does not end at the classroom door. She also is active in the school’s PTA, can be seen helping at PTA events, has served as the PTA’s staff liaison and has personally recruited her kindergarten parents involved in PTA leadership. Three words to describe her as a teacher are caring, fun, and dedicated. Congratulations, Christy!

A special thank you to this year's Awards Committee members, Grace Juardo and Melissa Kline.

Learn more about PTA Recogntion Awards and how your PTA can recognize those who go above and beyond in your school community.

May 15, 2023 Membership Meeting Recap

6/2/2023

On Monday, May 15th, Council held their last general membership meeting of the 2022-2023 school year. Council members were joined by local leaders, community members, and parents from across the district.

Continue reading below for a recap of the meeting.

Parent Education Presentation
The evening started with a presentation from Lake Washington Institute of Technology and Cascadia College titled “Community & Technical College: Preparing Students for Their Future”. This parent education event was organized by Brenae Brix, Council’s VP of Secondary Support, and included a Q&A session. For anyone wanting more information or to bring this presentation to their school community, email Brenae at [email protected].

Council Business
Following the presentation, Council business was accomplished. We approved the March 20,2023 General Membership Meeting Minutes, presented the April 2023 Treasurer’s Report, reported that our Annual Corporate Renewal was completed, and updated our membership that we had sent in a donation to the Washington State PTA College Scholarship Fund in accordance with our budget. We also held an election for Council’s 2023-2024 Office of VP of Events. We are excited to announce that Melissa Bennett was elected to this role! We are still looking to elect a Secretary as no nominations were submitted. To find out more about this position and other volunteer opportunities for next year’s Council, visit: http://www.northshorecouncilptsa.org/council-blog/council-volunteer-opportunities-for-2023-2024.

Council Co-President, Rachel Fitzgerald, then gave the following updates and reminders to the membership:

Local PTAs were asked to update their newly elected officers into memberplanet and into Northshore Council’s Contact Document: http://www.northshorecouncilptsa.org/council-blog/time-to-update-2023-2024-leaders-contact-information-with-council.
A thank you card from Northshore School Board Director McGourty was read out that thanked Council for the staff appreciation video that was put together for NSD and included thank you messages from Northshore PTA members to Northshore Staff. View the video here: http://www.northshorecouncilptsa.org/council-blog/we-appreciate-northshore-school-district-staff.
They also gave a recap of Washington State PTA’s reimagined convention. This year the annual event was broken up into two separate parts. The first was a virtual business meeting on April 29th and 30th where Members elected the 2023-2025 Board of Directors and voted on changes to the Washington State PTA Bylaws. The second was the in person spring conference on May 5th and 6th which had several leaders from PTAs and PTSAs in Northshore in attendance. The in-person event was not only a lot of fun, but a great opportunity to receive annual training and connect with PTA leaders from across Northshore and the state!

Council Committee Reports
The next part of our meeting was our Council Committee Reports.
Spring Recognition Celebration: Updates from Mary Khouzam. This event will be held on June 6th from 10:30-12:30 at Brightwater Community Center. Updates included reminding local PTAs to contact their President in order to RSVP and to submit their award recipients for recognition at the Council level. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSekeNRBGfw7qzuQNA1alhcZq4DZkQirh3Ht8vJSgpWIkFVSQw/viewform
Special Education Chairs: Laura Staneff reported on their recent meeting with Assistant Superintendent Obadiah Dunham discussing supports for neurodiverse students and gave an update on where they were at in the process of forming of a new Special Education PTSA in NSD.
Membership: Kim Ortiz announced that Membership across Northshore PTAs is at 101% of last year with a total of 5521 members! There were special shoutouts to Shelton View PTA, Bothell High School PTSA, and Frank Love PTA for having the highest percent increase of members. We also gave a reminder to local PTAs to utilize the end of the year database checklist provided by WSPTA: https://www.wastatepta.org/pta-leaders/leader-resources/leadership-guides/
Advocacy: Jennifer Drury reported on her recent meeting with fellow Council board member Melissa Kline and School Board Directors Amy Cast and Sandy Hayes where they discussed overcrowding and communication between city and county councils and the school district. There were updates about the upcoming school board elections including working with the incoming Co-VPs of Advocacy on hosting a candidate forum. Jen also let us know that Washington State PTAs Legislative Session Scorecard is available to see what passed and what didn’t and that a draft of the conclusions of the Student Wellness and Safety Task Force from Northshore Schools is available to view.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Chair: Cherry Holmes gave a recap of our parent ed event “Northshore Panel Discussion: Beyond Black and White” in partnership with RARE. Feedback from attendees was that they really appreciated the event.

We ended the meeting with some timely calendar reminders.

May 15 is the last day to submit award nominations for Council’s Awards.
Friday May 20 is the last day to sign up for group registration for the National PTA Convention which is virtual.
A Grant Cycle will be held right at the start of next school year with submissions due on September 4.
Washington State PTA will host an Autumn Leadership Launch on August 25-26. Registration should open soon.

To see our full calendar, visit http://www.northshorecouncilptsa.org/calendar.html. We will be updating this page over the summer to include events for 2023-2024 so please make sure to check back often and read your summer eNews to keep up-to-date on all things Northshore Council PTSA!

We want to thank all the volunteers, district employees, and community members who attended this meeting and all the previous meetings held this year. We hope you will continue to join us for our General Membership Meetings in the 2023-2024 school year.

Share Your List of Local PTA/PTSA Recognition Award Winners with Council!

5/6/2023

We would love to shine the spotlight on your 2023 PTA award winners!

Click Button Above

Does your PTA give out a Golden Acorn award? Maybe an Outstanding Educator, or an Outstanding Advocate award? Or more? Please let us know by completing this form.

We would like to create a list of all of our local PTA award winners to share with the community. These volunteers deserve to be celebrated!!!

If possible, please let us know your award winners by Thursday, June 1st so they can be celebrated in our last eNews for this school year!

Learn more about local PTA/PTSA awards.

Questions? Email Jenn Snyder at [email protected].

Celebrating Local PTA 2022 Awardees!

6/7/2022

Awards are a great way for PTAs to show their community how much they appreciate them and to celebrate the dedication of those who support your PTA's mission and goals!

Many PTA's do this through WSPTA's formal volunteer award recognition program which allows for local PTAs to award for outstanding educator, advocate, student advocate, and volunteer (Golden Acorn), as well as the honorary life membership award.

Because volunteers are at the heart of everything PTA, Council is excited to share in the celebration of our local Northshore PTA Award Winners!

Please note, we know this is a busy time of year and many PTAs have not yet had the chance to submit their award winners to us for recognition. If you would like to add to our list, email [email protected].

Canyon Creek Elementary PTA

Golden Acorn: Foram Shah
Golden Acorn: Nancy Tangen
Honorary Life Membership: Bruce Denton
Outstanding Advocate: Christy Deer
Outstanding Educator: Maddy Rodgers
Outstanding Educator: Deanna Roland

Canyon Park Middle School PTSA

Golden Acorn: Popcorn Friday Volunteers

(Michelle Falsis, Nikki & Ray Gagner, Carmel Percy)

Outstanding Advocate: Julie Brock
Outstanding Educator: Cheryl Klemz
Outstanding Educator: Colin White

Cottage Lake Elementary PTA

Golden Acorn: Venece Lyman
Golden Sailboat: Audrey Wilde

Leota Middle School PTSA

Golden Acorn: Carol Dillingham
Outstanding Advocate: Matthew Warhol
Outstanding Student Advocate: Liam Vanderkolk
Outstanding Educator: Tianna Flowers
Outstanding Educator: Tracy Westberg

Innovation Lab High School PTSA

Golden Acorn: Cathy Jones
Outstanding Educator: Dr. Stacey Hutchison

North Creek High School PTSA

Golden Acorn: Hanisha Bakshani
Outstanding Advocate: Dr. Gregory Cox
Outstanding Educator: Melanie Damson
Outstanding Educator: Christopher Estefani

Shelton View Elementary PTA

Golden Acorn: Allison Anderson
Golden Acorn: Cheryl Stanford
Golden Apple: Lynn Dunne
Golden Apple: Amber Purvis

Skyview Middle School PTSA

Golden Acorn: Bushra Yassir
Outstanding Advocate: Jennifer Celms
Outstanding Educator: Jeremiah Campbell
Outstanding Educator: Tanya Subcleff

Woodin Elementary PTA

Golden Acorn: Antonio Gordivas
Golden Acorn: Victoria Kramer
Honorary Life Membership: Deb Murphy
Honorary Life Membership: Jenny Peterson
Outstanding Advocate: Jen Anderson
Outstanding Advocate: Danielle Lewis
Outstanding Educator: Nancy Hernandez
Outstanding Educator: Nancy McQueen

Congratulations!! 2021-2022 Local PTA Award Recipients

Updated 7.6.2022

5/16/22 General Membership Meeting Recap

6/6/2022

Recap: 5/16/22 General Membership Meeting

Last month Council held their 5th and final General Meeting of the 2021-2022 school year.

We appreciate all the local leaders from across the district as well as community and school partners who took the time to attend!

Continue reading below for a recap of this meeting.

Council Business:
The meeting kicked off with an approval of minutes from our March 21st general meeting, before moving on to hear the Treasurer’s Report for the month of April from Council Treasurer, Serena Xu.

Next on the agenda were updates from Council President, Jane Chiodo, which included:

Information on Northshore School District's student-led Mental Health Awareness talk at North Creek High School on May 18, 2022 6-7:30pm in the NCHS Commons. Link to RSVP was available in the latest issue of Council's eNews.
Introduction of the incoming board members and thank you to all the outgoing board members. Click here to see the list of volunteers who were elected to Council for 2022-2023 during our previous membership meeting.
Reminders about our two open elected positions - Secretary & VP of Events. If you are interested in taking on either of these positions, please email [email protected]. Our board of directors can appoint someone to the position temporarily. The election process will begin in the fall with the goal of holding the election at our first general membership meeting which will take place in September.
Submitting local award winners to Council for recognition. We would love to highlight local PTA award winners to our communities. Please fill out our google form & let us know who your recipients are.
Information on connecting with Council over the summer.
1. Check our calendar and June eNews for summer office hours.
2. Follow Council on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for latest updates.
3. Visit our Contact Us Page to email us any time with questions.

Our VP of Communications, Rachel Fitzgerald, then shared with everyone the importance of updating the contact information for positions being filled for next year in your PTA. If you are an officer next year, please update your contact information before July 1st, 2022. This information will be used to contact you by council board members that want to support your PTA. It is also how you will be on the list to receive communications from council, including the council newsletter, that will keep you updated on events and happenings in our district. Remember to update officers in memberplanet as well!

2022-2023 PTA OFFICERS - CLICK HERE TO UPDATE CONTACT INFORMATION WITH COUNCIL

The Council business portion of our meeting ended with a farewell for Dr. Michelle Reid who will be leaving Northshore School District at the end of June to serve as the Superintendent of the Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia.

Jane Chiodo read a letter with messages of appreciation from Council leaders for all that Dr. Reid has done for our district over the years. Click here to read the thank-you letter.

District and Community Reports:

Marco Garcia, NSD Partnerships and Volunteer Coordinator, reminded us about the 2022 Community Serve Day taking place Sunday, August 21st and let us know about the CP & Dorothy Johnson awards ceremony which the district would be holding on Thursday, May 26th at 6p.m. He also let us know that the Connections newsletter would continue to have a dedicated section for district wide updates from PTA and to email him if there was anything we wanted included in future newsletters.
School Board President, Jackie McGourty, gave an update explaining the current state of the interim superintendent search and that they planned to announce by June 1. She also talked about the School Board's refresh of the strategic plan.
Representing the Northshore Schools Foundation, Hanisha Bakshani, gave updates about the Skills4Life podcasts, their grant program, and encouraged anyone who might be interested to learn more about the foundation and become an ambassador for their school.

After the updates were given by the community partners there was a reminder to the local PTA attendees to please remember to fill out the end of year survey from Council. This survey lets us know how we can better serve your PTA with your valuable feedback. We will be taking survey responses up until midnight on Friday, June 17th.

CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE END OF THE YEAR FEEDBACK SURVEY FOR COUNCIL

Last, but certainly not least, the evening ended with our 2021-2022 Spring Recognition Event! This event was hosted by First Vice President and Awards Committee Chair, Mary Khouzam.

The event included performances from the Woodinville High School String Quartet and the Canyon Park Middle School Advanced Drama Class. Two of Northshore's Reflections artists were also able to showcase their submissions which received awards from National PTA!

The highlight of the event was celebrating all the achievements of our local PTAs/PTSAs that make us #PTAProud. Council would also like to celebrate the local award winners in a future blog. To include your local recipients, please complete this form.

During our Spring Recognition, Council was also honored to present this year's Council Recognition Awards.
Congratulations to the following eleven (11) individuals:
🌟 Golden Acorn: Diana Christiansen
🌟 Golden Acorn: Jennifer Drury
🌟 Golden Acorn: Rachel Fitzgerald
🌟 Outstanding Educator: Steven Hopkins
🌟 Outstanding Educator: Peter Schurke
🌟 Outstanding Advocate: Clark Combs
🌟 Outstanding Student Advocate: Esther Kim
🌟 Outstanding Service: Jane Chiodo
🌟 Outstanding Service: Melissa Kline
🌟 Outstanding Service: Pauline Wray
🌟 Honorary Life Membership: Tracy Jokisch

Click here to learn more about each of our 2021-2022 Council Award Recipients.

Special thanks to Council Members Jane Chiodo, Jennifer Drury, Rachel Fitzgerald, Mary Khouzam, and Claudine Miller for their work to make this event a success! Many volunteer hours were spent reviewing nominations, selecting recipients, organizing the slideshow, arranging for student entertainment, and surprising the award winners - all to make our 2022 Spring Recognition Event a memorable one!!

We want to thank all the volunteers, district employees, and community members who attended this meeting and all the previous meetings held this year. We hope you will continue to join us for our General Membership Meetings in the 2022-2023 school year.

For a full list of our upcoming meetings and events, check out our Calendar.

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