CHILDREN & NATURE NETWORK
Parents as changemakers: How community involvement shapes a school district’s way forward
By Brenda Kessler
The positive outcome motivated me to join the PTO, where I thought perhaps, I would find support for helping the school reduce its environmental impact. Unlike your Hollywood stereotypes, I encountered good-natured, generous, and creative individuals who were genuinely there to build a stronger school community. I met Emily Jabbour, a Hoboken council member and mother of two young girls, in my first meeting. She was often (and deservingly so) praised by other local parents for her work around the community. “While it always makes for a juggle to find the time away from work to be present in a school community during the day, it sets an important example of civic engagement for a child from an early age,” said Emily when I asked her why she chooses to volunteer. “The opportunity to be an active member of a school community is also a great way to better understand the culture of a space where your children spend most of their time – and often aren’t able to necessarily articulate what that experience is like, especially when they are young,” she added.