Bravo to Lewiston Middle School principal Shawn Chabot and parents Heidi Sawyer and Marnie Morneault for tackling a start-up Parent Teacher Organization at Lewiston Middle School. 

Getting parents involved in their children’s school at this critical age can only be a good thing for all concerned. 

Study after study has shown that parent involvement in a child’s education is among the top factors influencing academic success. And that doesn’t only mean helping them with their homework. It can also mean helping to raise funds for a school field trip, or for classroom equipment, or a special school performance, or a winter carnival. And it can mean whatever these parents and these teachers at this school decide it should mean. 

Surveys about parental involvement cite a lack of time and a feeling of not being welcome among the top reasons parents don’t get involved in their child’s school. Some parents are also reluctant to get involved because of their own negative experience with school or because there is a language barrier.

Morneault and Sawyer are going to need some fine motivational skills, an ability to think outside the box, organizational skills and lots of energy to come up with ways to help parents overcome some of these obstacles to getting involved. 

The PTO is already utilizing the power of social media to provide information to parents and create a positive buzz about the school. The LMS Facebook page currently posts  a challenge to follow the school’s principal on Twitter:

“This challenge is from their LMS Facebook page “So, Mr. Chabot needs our help! He has been challenged to get 100 followers on twitter. If u tweet please add him, he’s @lewistonlms. If you’re not on twitter you can join and just see his tweets!”

Making parents feel informed is a great way to make them feel more comfortable with the school. The PTO also has an email and the school has a Web page as well. And since most of the parents at the school most likely have some form of access to the Internet, that is a great use of technology. 

How to get people off their computers and into the school — or least get them to actually do something to help the school — is another matter.

At their best, PTOs help make schools a better place, help parents feel more welcome, teachers to feel appreciated and supported, and students to feel a sense of security, community and pride in their school; all involved feel more valued. 

At their worst, they can devolve into petty power struggles and turf wars. 

We urge all involved to keep their eyes on the prize. 

This isn’t your parents’ PTO. Times have changed, parents’ schedules and lives are changing all the time. The obstacles to involvement are many and changing, as well.  But the basic mission of these groups is still to facilitate parent involvement in schools.

As parents, you owe it to your child to step up, in whatever way you can, to help those who are trying to make Lewiston Middle School a better place for your children. Look for ways to contribute what you can; to get involved on some level. Stay informed, ask questions, read the Facebook page and, if you can, attend the first Sept. 18 meeting.

A school is only a building when it’s empty;  but when  it is full of students and teachers, administrators and janitors, it is a thriving community the purpose of which is to help your child develop and learn. Do your part to help.

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The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and the editorial board.