You see them in the quad, pass them in the office, and probably know their children better than you know them: the moms on campus are always on the move, making our school a better place. Dads, of course, are active on campus too, but with Mother’s Day coming up, I think it’s time we pay a little extra attention to the enthusiastic mothers who never fail to smile after handing out hundreds of burgers on Blue and Gold Day.
According to Lane Epps in the Development Office, the Patrons of the Arts “is a voluntary membership organization that provides financial and volunteer assistance to the fine arts disciplines at TPS. They run the box office at plays and grant teachers requests for visiting artists, equipment, travel expense, etc.”
Dana Shulman, president of the POA, said, “I enjoy POA because of the talented and passionate fine arts teachers who make the fine arts programs at Trinity Prep the best in Central Florida. I am fortunate to work with parents in POA who share their enthusiasm for the arts and give so generously of their time. Volunteering at Trinity Prep has been a rewarding experience that has left me with fond memories. “
Groups like Patrons of the Arts allow parents who otherwise wouldn’t be involved in the arts to take part in arts on campus.
‘‘We do have some parents who don’t have students in fine arts but they themselves have a passion for the arts so they get involved. I have never been a particularly creative person. I was more of an athlete but I have learned a great deal from chaperoning the forensics team and working with POA,’’ says Shulman.
Most of us weren’t very involved in the selection of our middle or high school, so we’re not aware of just how much mothers contribute to the admissions process. According to Dean of Admissions Sherry Hay, parents make phone calls, lead open houses, assist with new student registration and orientation, and even help organize mail and postage. Remember the 6th grade receptions you went to meet your new classmates before school started? Yep, that was all thanks to the parents.
“We could not begin to do all that we do in admissions without them,” says Hay. Some of the moms most frequently seen on campus, including Ann Cavanaugh, Paula Loftus, Donna van Allen, Kendra Graham, and Elizabeth Purkey, are part of the Trinity Parents Organization. Every parent is automatically a member, and there are at least 100 volunteers, about three of whom are moms. They fund student activities like Lunch on the Lawn, Grandparents’ Day, Dickens Day, the Ellis Award, and the annual senior luncheon that’s right around the corner.
But the TPO doesn’t only focus on students. They hold teacher appreciation events too. They also send cards to teachers for birthdays, when they’re sick, getting married, or having a baby.
“The TPO is extremely important because they add a level of enrichment to the campus that makes it a much nicer place to be. It’s amazing how much time these moms put into it,” says Epps.
And what would our sports teams be without our moms there to support us? The Boosters do things like working the concession stands at football games and raising money for athletics, and many of the members and officers are mothers, including Mrs. Guarino, Mrs. Cameron, Mrs. Auld, Mrs. Salas, Mrs. Carney, Mrs. Fahey, and Mrs. Carroll.
So this Mothers’ Day, remember to thank the moms on campus doing behind-the-scenes work. Though we all occasionally get annoyed by our parents, we should always remember how much they care about us.
