1998 PPP VIP Award Winners
By Vickie Dickneite
March 05, 2008
1998 VIP Awards
Cynthia Bice - Truman Elementary, Rolla
Cynthia has the ability to make people feel welcome and important. Her inclusive encouraging manner brings people from diverse backgrounds together for the common purpose of being better parents. Cynthia inspires the best in people and is an incredible asset to our community. -Superintendent
Cynthia always works in a positive manner with pupils, teachers, parents and school administrators. In addition to professional competency, she possesses many of the personal qualities so very essential to a leader. She maintains a positive professional working relationship by being fair, firm, open-mined, discerning and of good humor. She is a loyal and dedicated member of her profession who will continue to make contributions within her profession and to this community. - Assistant Supt.
Patti Burri - Edison Elementary, St. Joseph
Patti Burri became Family Involvement Coordinator in 1994 and changed the meaning of Parent Connection at Edison Elementary School. Patti raised parent participation from 40 to 400 the first year and now has doubled the number. Her Edison peers have become totally involved with all parent involvement functions which really tells the find of support that Patti exemplifies. PPP has been a guide for Patti and her Parent Involvement Cadre. They meet every Friday and focus on the parent activities for the week or month. Her cadre was instrumental in developing the St. Joseph School District Parent Networking team and St. Joseph School District Parent Advisory Board.
Patti's last big endeavor for Edison was raising the money for a Parent Resource Building which will house daycare, adult classes, counseling, and family resources for the "whole family" concept. This is Patty's last year as she will retire in May, 1998. We will truly miss her leadership and dedication for children and their families.
Carolyn Clark - Lincoln Accelerated Elementary, Normandy
Carolyn is an energetic Title I Parent Liaison and trained PPP workshop facilitator. Ms. Clark has been instrumental in developing a parent resource room at the school. The room serves as a place where parents can check out parenting materials and received information on available social and health services. Ms. Clark also provides some of the daytime PPP workshops in the parent room. She is an excellent artist who designs and posts many beautiful posters, announcing our parent activities and reminders for those who have a tendency to forget. Ms. Clark volunteers in the community and serves as the President of the district's Parent Advisory Council.
Danyaal Joiner - Early Childhood Center, Normandy
Mrs. Joiner is an outstanding parent volunteer who continues to demonstrate her commitment to parent involvement through her many volunteer hours with Practical Parenting Partnership and the early reading program located at the Early Childhood Center. Mrs. Joiner assists the staff with implementing PPP workshops which focus on parent needs. She serves as the librarian in the Parent Lending Library and the president of the PTO. Mrs. Joiner seeks out resources, materials and reading incentives for the "Bookworm Reading Club." Presently, over 90% of the children and parents are actively engaged in reading activities which extend literacy development into the home.
Sheryl Jones - Pleasant Valley Elementary, Carthage
Sheryl is a wife and mother of two girls. She volunteers to work at school anytime she is needed. She has been on Pleasant Valley's Advisory Council from the very start of the PPP program. She is very supportive of the program and tries hard to get other parents to become more involved in the PPP program at Pleasant Valley. Sheryl is one of the main reasons that Pleasant Valley's PPP program has become successful.
Carol Marcks - Fort Osage R-I Schools
Carol Marcks is the greatest supporter of parent involvement in the universe! All of our buildings have school neighborhood advisory councils and parent support groups that allow parents from any school to attend. All have active PTA's. All of the schools have Grandparent, Mother, and Father breakfasts. Two of the four buildings have Even Start programs. All of our buildings are open early and remain open late. Filled with physical and learning activities for our communities. Ms. Marcks is the Assistant Superintendent of our district and was the point person to get this all started.
Spignotta Milan - Lewis and Clark, Riverview Gardens
Spignotta is a very good motivator for PPP in our district. She encourages everyone to set goals and reach for them. She speaks her mind and doesn't hesitate to express her ideas concerning the schools. Spignotta believes in parental involvement in a child's education, and at every meeting, she is constantly bringing up ideas that will involve students, parents, teachers, and the community working together to produce a well-educated and socially developed adult.
Ray Montgomery - Windsor Elementary, Imperial
Ray has been instrumental in the growth and success of our PPP program in many ways. Ray owns and operates Amusement Concepts and a disc jockey company called TNT. He is also chairperson of Drug Awareness and Youth Activity committees for the local Arnold Elks Club. He has used his business and position to help coordinate, finance and man many of our activities including open gym, Western Day, 60's Sock Hop, PPP Advisory Board and Red Ribbon Drug Awareness Week. You will find him Djing at all of our events, cooking hot dogs, ridge horses, renting the wagon for a hayride, recruiting a ventriloquist and just plain being supportive.
Tammy Parris - Connections Center, William Woods University
Both Van Far R-I Elementary and Shell Knob #78 Schools nominated Tammy for the PPP VIP award saying that she has been very helpful to their parenting efforts. She is a great resource with energy and excitement to encourage others. Tammy always goes all out to help everyone; she is always smiling and is a good example for others to follow. She is a truly dedicated professional and is assisting both districts with writing their PPP targeted incentive grant application.
Patty Verslues - Bush Elementary, Fulton
Patty originally wrote a PPP incentive grant 4 years ago and has been a dedicated leader ever since. Patty's belief that parents need to share in their children's education has kept her adherence to the fundaments of the PPP program. She has developed Bush's program moving forward by seeing the total picture. With the addition of a great parent helper, Patty has greatly improved our parent communication and increased the use of the parent resource center. Patty's outstanding leadership and sense of humor has made Bush's PPP a successful effort.
Carol White - Wyman Accelerated Elementary, Rolla
Carol started our PPP in the spring of 1997, with a great amount of enthusiasm and expertise. Foremost is her ability to lead groups of parents through "highly interactive sessions." As a result of her interactive teaching style some very important topics are discussed in a sensitive and responsive manner. Carol is well-organized and is always pleasant and smiling. She works well with parents, students, staff, and administrators. She is a strong advocate of the PPP program and tirelessly works toward its success. Many kudos to this highly creative and caring person!
Gloria Wilson - Mark Twain Elementary, Poplar Bluff
Gloria is a caring, giving person. She saw a need to connect teachers, parents and students of Mark Twain School and met that need through the activities of Practical Parenting Partnerships. Her strengths is her attention to detail and data collection which has shown the benefits of PPP. She goes beyond the requirements of her job to develop and implement activities which help children. Her most recent accomplishment is the development and refinement of a Student Assistance Team, that consists of the classroom teacher, 3 experienced teachers, the parent, and Gloria as counselor. This year the team has assisted 15 children to become more successful in the classroom. Ms. Wilson is a "people person" who excels in bringing groups of people together in both fund and learning activities. Parents feel comfortable in speaking with her about their concerns for their children because they know she will offer them constructive information and help. She bridges the gap between school and home in a warm, caring manner that benefits the child, family and school.
1998 SPECIAL PPP VIP AWARD - ROSILEE TROTTA
Rosilee Trotta is an original PPP Trainer who has been an enthusiastic advocate of Practical Parenting Partnerships since the beginning of the program. As a member of the PPP Advisory Board she has contributed insight and encouragement for the continued growth of PPP. Rosilee has promoted PPP in many presentations she has made through her position as Urban Youth & Family Specialist with University Outreach and Extension in St. Louis County. This year, Rosilee is to be commended for her efforts in the large collaborative of the St. Louis School to Work grant. She was instrumental in seeing that parent involvement is an important component of the grant and that PPP is the parent involvement approach.
