19-Oct-09 3:00 PM  CST  

Chamber Honors Parents 

“The quality of tomorrow’s work force depends on the educational foundation laid today.”   This belief is shared by members of the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce. It’s also the reason the chamber hosts the annual Parental Partner Program to honor BISD parents who are making a difference.

“This is the seventh year we’ve honored outstanding parents,” explained Shirley Bartos, senior vice president of the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce. “We ask BISD principals to nominate extraordinary parents who, despite their own struggles, go the extra mile to ensure their children attend school, exhibit model citizenship and excel in the classroom.”

Bartos said, “During the ceremony, we read the names of all 27 nominees, then we picked the five whose stories are most heart-stirring. Each finalist received a $250 Wal-Mart gift card.

The 2009 finalists are Aretha McHenry, Charlette Wyckoff, Guadalupe Maldonado, Mona Jackson and Cathy Shelander.

McHenry, a diligent working mother of six, has two children with medical challenges. They attend Bingman-Blanchette Elementary School. Bingman-Blanchette Principal Barbara Hardeman states, “She spends her lunch break at the school, picking up her kids’ homework assignments. When she isn’t spending time with her kids or working a full-time job, you can find her in our school library assisting the librarian and reading to the kindergarteners. She also helps students with the computerized accelerated reading program. She is a genuine asset to the Bingman-Blanchette team.” McHenry has not allowed her family illness, economic hardships, or stressful situations to hinder her from continuing her education at Lamar University in the field of health services.

When Wyckoff’s daughter passed away two years ago, she immediately assumed the role of parent for her young granddaughter Donelle. Donelle is an honor roll student at Fehl Elementary. Principal Cynthia Washington nominated Wyckoff for Parental Partner because she donates her time and resources to ensure Donelle’s educational and emotional needs are met while dealing with her own health issues and continuing her education at Lamar-Orange. “She has a sweet and generous spirit and will go all out to make sure Donelle and everyone involved has everything they need. She gives of her time, money and gifts to ensure her granddaughter is successful,” said Mrs. Perkins, Fehl school music teacher. “Mrs. Wyckoff is truly Fehl-tastic,” she added.

Maldonado and her husband immigrated to the United States in 2003. The couple wanted to raise a family in a country where opportunities abound for those willing to work hard. They settled in Beaumont and enrolled their oldest daughter, Aurora, into the bilingual program at Fletcher Elementary School. Aurora became an honor student. The couple’s three children now attend Pietzsch-MacArthur Elementary School where Principal Linda Thomas says they are each making perfect grades. Thomas says Maldonado volunteers countless hours at the school, serves as the parental representative on the LPAC committee, volunteers with the Community In Schools program, and serves as a room mother. The teachers all agree she extends her friendship and love to all the teachers, staff and children at Pietzsch-MacArthur.

Jackson’s motto is “no excuses, only results.” It’s one of the main reasons Price Elementary School Principal Rachel Jones nominated Jackson for the Parental Partner award. The mother of five does all she can to ensure her children are at the front of the line to take advantage of life’s opportunities. She makes sure her children’s homework is done and projects are turned in ahead of time. All of her children are on the honor roll, well-behaved, well-rounded and articulate. Jackson is involved in the school PTA and volunteers her time on campus. She recently graduated from Lamar University while working a full-time job. Jackson has been able to accomplish all of this while her husband is deployed to Iraq. Teachers at Price say she is a role model to all parents at Price and throughout the community.

At birth, Shelander’s daughter, Annabel, was diagnosed with Trisomy 19. Only five percent of Trisomy 19 babies live to see their first birthday. Regina Howell principal Rose Hardy calls Annabel a “miracle.” Hardy says Annabel was able to overcome so many health obstacles because of the constant love and care from her mother. Annabel was adopted by two other families who were afraid to love and care for her because of her health issues. Shelander was the director of the adoption agency and decided to make Annabel a part of her family. Shelander has created a website highlighting Annabel’s involvement at Regina Howell, giving hope to other families who have babies with Trisomy 19. Hardy calls Shelander a true inspiration.

Bartos says each of these stories proves one of the key components of academic success is parent involvement. “We look forward to honoring BISD parents every year and are happy to partner with ExxonMobil, Lamar University, Lamar Institute of Technology and BISD to host the Parental Partner program.” Bartos thanked all 27 parents for continuing to make a difference in the lives of BISD students.

 

Source: Beaumont ISD

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