Parent Group Hall of Fame Archive

Sometimes the best inspiration is hearing about the amazing things done by other parent groups like yours. Compiled below are all the feature stories about past winners of PTO Today's Parent Group of the Year search—groups that were recognized for their outstanding work. When you're done reading, head over to the Message Boards section to connect with other leaders like you. (Find out how to enter the next Parent Group of the Year search.)

• Idea Gallery 2005 - Cool solutions, approaches, events, and activities gathered from the 2005 Parent Group of the Year entries.
• Parent Night: Social Event Goes Off Campus - An inexpensive and well-attended social night for parents is PTO Today's 2006 Parent Group of the Year winner for Outstanding Parents' Night Out.
• Family Focus Creates Fast Start - Communicating their new emphasis on families early and often generated excitement and strong parent involvement for PTO Today's 2005 West Region Parent Group of the Year.
• Multicultural Outreach: Group Thrives on Personal Contact - Translation services, a mentor program, and personal outreach to parents helped make this group our 2006 Parent Group of the Year winner for Outstanding Outreach to a Multicultural Parent Base.
• National Runner-up: Eagle Project Really Soared - A combined literacy and community service project to save the bald eagle really took off for PTO Today's 2007 Parent Group of the Year national runner-up.
• New Group: PTO Starts Strong - Strong organization and attention to detail on the business side helped create a fast start for PTO Today's 2006 National Parent Group of the Year winner in the category Outstanding New Group.
• National Winner: Fun Factor Pays Off - Emphasizing fun for its events and activities created excitement and helped an inner-city school build tremendous involvement. That helped make them PTO Today's 2006 Parent Group of the Year.
• Creative Ideas Help PTO Thrive - Using creative solutions to make it easier for parents to get involved was the hallmark of PTO Today's 2005 Northeast Region Parent Group of the Year winner.
• Idea Gallery 2001 - Hundreds of Parent Group of the Year applications in 2001 yielded hundreds of hearwarming stories and accomplishments and more than a few quotes we just had to share.
• Idea Gallery 2007 - Ideas and accomplishments worth celebrating from the 2007 Parent Group of the Year entries.
• Family Event: Details Make a Winning Night - A nice family night became a terrific school event thanks to a focus on making sure everyone could participate. That focus made this night PTO Today's 2005 Parent Group of the Year winner for Outstanding Family Event.
• National Winner: Embracing Change Makes PTO a Winner - Rezoning and a significant shift in school demographics energized rather than paralyzed PTO Today's 2007 Parent Group of the Year.
• When We Were a Parent Group of the Year Winner - Sometimes the best thing a PTO can do is look back on all the great stuff it has accomplished.
• Parent Involvement: Sports Program Sparks Interest - An ambitious PTA-run sports program helps create interest and attract volunteers for all of the group's activities for PTO Today's 2006 Parent Group of the Year winner in the category Outstanding Focus on Involvement.
• National Winner: After Tornado, PTO Stronger Than Ever - A unified response to a community disaster strengthened this PTO and gave them renewed focus. Now, they are PTO Today's 2002 Parent Group of the Year.
• National Winner: Limited Resources, Big Results - A broad and welcoming approach to involvement helped achieve surprising results for a PTO at a school with few economic resources, making the group PTO Today’s 2005 Parent Group of the Year.
• Nine Schools Merge Into One - A district-mandated mega-merger came at the end of a trying time, which might have spelled disaster under other circumstances—but these parents focused on community-building to get through it in one piece, making the newly created group a clear choice as PTO Today's 2005 Mid-Atlantic Region Parent Group of the Year.
• National Winner: Community Spirit on Parade - A strong sense of community—and extended community—help make this group PTO Today's 2002 Parent Group of the Year.
• National Winner: Renovation Project Builds Unity - What started as a painting project became a major renovation, and a focus for building involvement for PTO Today's 2003 Parent Group of the Year.
• Strong Involvement: Six Groups - A commitment to building parent involvement unites the six regional winners in PTO Today's 2002 National Parent Group of the Year search.
• National Winner: Middle School Magic - Creating involvement at the middle school level can be tough, but Rosemont Ridge PTO has the magic touch. That made them PTO Today's 2004 Parent Group of the Year.
• PTO Blossoms as Town Grows - PTO Today's 2003 Northeast Region Parent Group of the Year steps in to support its local schools after 10 years of rapid growth squeezed space and budgets.
• Parochial School: Marketing Campaign Keeps School Open - Low enrollment, a declining local economy, and the departure of the school administrator made parents sure their Catholic school would be the next to close. What they did not only prevented it but also established the school even more strongly, and earned the group recognition as PTO Today's 2006 Outstanding Parent Group at a Private School.
• Community Service: Student Club Involves Parents - PTO Today's 2007 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Community Service Project had students teaching each other—and helping others in the community—through monthly events all year long.
• Family Event: Low Cost, High Profile - PTO Today's 2007 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Family Event brings parents and students together with a camping night that's inexpensive, easy to plan, and one of the most popular events of the year.
• Major Project: Community Garden Builds School Support - A Phoenix group was recognized as the PTO Today 2007 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Job on a Completed Major Project for its garden that is part teaching tool, part service project, and part community-building exercise.
• New Group: Unity the Key for New PTA - PTO Today's 2007 Outstanding New Parent Group got a head start, launching family activities before its school officially opened.
• Small School: New Purpose Renews Involvement - Leaders of PTO Today's 2007 Outstanding Parent Group at a Small School learned their group had a clique reputation, then worked hard to change it—and succeeded.
• National Runner-up: Diverse Community Shows Strong Bonds - With the PTO Today 2006 Parent Group of the Year Runner-up, differences are celebrated and all voices are given a chance to be heard.
• Major Project: Parents, Students Help Hurricane Victims - The Emily Brittain Elementary PTO in Butler, Pa., took its school motto to heart with a large-scale Hurricane Katrina relief effort for a sister school in Mississippi. The results earned the group recognition for an Outstanding Job on a Completed Major Project in PTO Today's 2006 Parent Group of the Year search.
• Small School: Parents Rebuild School Spirit - After several years of declining student enrollment and parent involvement resulting from a districtwide reorganization, PTO Today's 2006 Outstanding Group at a Small School decided to set their own agenda: revitalizing the connection of families to their school.
• Adversity: Rising From Katrina's Destruction - After Hurricane Katrina swept through Ocean Springs, many were left homeless and jobless. But the PTO persevered, arranging for spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts, and more to keep the community together, making them PTO Today's pick for the 2006 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Effort To Overcome Adversity.
• Small School, Powerhouse Parent Group - PTO Today’s Southern Region Parent Group of the Year proves that the reach of your accomplishments doesn’t have to be limited by the size of your group.
• Adversity: After Embezzlement, a Test of Strength - Discovering that their veteran treasurer had stolen funds from the group, parent leaders opted to stick it out and face up to the underlying causes. Their response made them PTO Today's 2007 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Effort To Overcome Adversity.
• Parochial School: Challenging Year Ends With Growth - PTO Today's 2007 Outstanding Parent Group at a Private School began its summer with a large financial burden, low morale, no board, and an uncertain future; with an emphasis on efficient planning and making involvement fun, leaders met those challenges and thrived.
• Troubled Times, Proactive PTO - With their school getting media exposure for all the wrong reasons, the leaders of PTO Today's 2005 Southern Region Parent Group of the Year stepped in to help administrators and students.
• Multicultural Outreach: Food, Music Bridge Cultural Divide - PTO Today's 2007 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Outreach to a Multicultural Parent Base found innovative ways to bring in families with limited English skills, achieving greater involvement and enthusiasm than ever before.
• National Winner: Creating a New Sense of Pride - Faced with challenges, leaders focused on building school spirit, and they tripled volunteer hours while maintaining a full calendar of family events. These accomplishments earned them recognition as the 2008 Parent Group of the Year.
• National Runner-up: Building on a Strong Foundation - A group that was already successful reevaluated—and revamped—all of its programs and systems to become even better, making it PTO Today’s 2008 Parent Group of the Year national runner-up.
• Family Event: Fun and Eco-games - PTO Today’s 2008 Outstanding Family Event was a green festival that combined learning and fun, included a large number of parent volunteers, and helped strengthen the connection between the middle school and home.
• Multicultural Outreach: Enthusiasm Helps Build Bridges - Parent leaders demonstrated that they wanted not just a broader volunteer base but also a diverse PTO. They created real opportunities for people to take key roles and became PTO Today’s 2008 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Outreach to a Multicultural Parent Base.
• Community Service: Knitting for a Cause - PTO Today’s 2008 Outstanding Community Service Project turned a fundraiser into a heartwarming event: Students knitted hats in all sizes for patients at the local children’s hospital, then delivered them personally.
• Small School: Good Planning, Fun Events Raise Profile - For PTO Today’s 2008 Outstanding Parent Group at a Small School, size is no object.
• New Group: Building on Past Experience - A strong start made for an Outstanding New Group in PTO Today’s 2008 Parent Group of the Year search.
• Parochial School: A Strong Vision of Service - PTO Today’s 2008 Outstanding Parent Group at a Private or Parochial School worked hard to inspire, inform, and involve parents.
• Major Project: Dads Create Resource Room - The 2008 PTO Today Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Job on a Completed Major Project simultaneously engaged dads while serving parents as a whole.
• Adversity: Great Involvement Despite Economic Woes - This rural group focused on families despite challenges, making it PTO Today’s 2008 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Effort To Overcome Adversity.
• Idea Gallery 2008 - Creative events, approaches, and strategies from the 2008 Parent Group of the Year entries.
• Idea Gallery 2009 - From family events to fundraisers, this year's Parent Group of the Year search was full of inspiring ideas. Here are some of our favorites.
• Family Event: Crafts Night With a Conscience - PTO Today's 2009 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Family Event combined a focus on fun with environmental awareness.
• Multicultural Outreach: No Barriers to Involvement - International families are never an overlooked part of the school community with PTO Today's 2009 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Outreach to a Multicultural Parent Base.
• New Group: Redistricting a Positive for New Group - PTO Today's 2009 Outstanding New Group used all of the wider community resources available to reach its goals and improve the school for its expanded student body.
• Major Project: Edible Garden Enriches Students and Learning - The 2009 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Job on a Completed Major Project created a green space for students with the support of families and teachers as well as school staff.
• Small School: Parent Efforts Help School Achieve - PTO Today's 2009 Outstanding Parent Group at a Small School proves that it doesn't take a lot of people to accomplish great things.
• National Runner-up: Focus on Families and Service - Support of enrichment programs and volunteer opportunities helped set apart the 2009 Parent Group of the Year national runner-up.
• Parents Fight for School Renovations - PTO Today's 2009 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Effort to Overcome Adversity took up the cause for its students after an unexpected—and undesirable—school relocation.
• Fun Family Events Help Build Unity - PTO Today's 2009 Parent Group of the Year set goals to enhance student opportunities and bring together the school community.
• Parochial School: New Events Revive Image After Merger - When two Catholic schools merged, parent group leaders met the challenge of serving a far more diverse community; they also showed themselves as an organization to be taken seriously, making them PTO Today's 2009 Outstanding Parent Group at a Private or Parochial School.
• Bike Drive Energizes Community - By collecting and repairing bicycles for low-income families, PTO Today's 2009 Parent Group of the Year for Outstanding Community Service Project turned a simple annual event into a community-building exercise.