The start of a new school year has always inspired a sense of excitement in me. As a kid, I felt unbridled enthusiasm for new sneakers, a Muppets “Pigs in Space” lunchbox, and the holy grail of all school supplies—a shiny new Trapper Keeper. I enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones, learning from new teachers, joining new clubs, the smell of new textbooks, and playing the sports I loved with friends. Ultimately, back then, I loved the idea that with each new year I was one step closer to adulthood and independence. As a parent, I am a little less excited about new school supplies (and perhaps even how long I’ve been an adult!) and more interested to see what the school year will hold for my own kids: the sports they’ll play, the plays they’ll act in, the art they’ll create, the friendships they’ll continue and the new ones they’ll make, the teachers they’ll be inspired by and the lessons they’ll learn, and the endless ways they will grow as students and human beings.
With each new school year, I also relish the opportunity (as I did when I was a child) to see old friends and meet new ones. This year’s Get INvolved Fair allowed for both of those! Organized by CA Parent Association Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Patrick Rodriguez, it was also a chance to see the many volunteer opportunities and ways of getting involved that the CA Parent Association offers. It was wonderful to see longtime CA parents browsing the many committee and activity tables alongside parents who are new to our community. As a parent of a Twelfth Grader and a Ninth Grader, and in my thirteenth year at Colorado Academy, I especially loved meeting new Kindergarten and Pre-K parents at the Fair, and smiled with them as they watched their children skip happily by with their new teachers and classmates. Seeing so many happy faces gather together in the Maloy Courtyard to catch up with one another, meet new parents, and learn ways that we can all get involved in this wonderful community was, as always, heartening.
As this year’s President-Elect of the Parent Association, I find new meaning in the start of a new school year. There are meetings with our fearless leader, PA President Jen Wolkon, the dedicated members of the PA Executive Committee, and countless committee chairs and parent volunteers to discuss the ways we can support each other and our talented faculty, staff, and administration in the year ahead. We get together as a collective and in small groups to brainstorm the best ways to continue (and make even better) longstanding CA Parent Association traditions like Homecoming, Harvest Market, New Family Welcome Bags, Taste of CA, the Winter Market, and the Used Book Sale. We are inspired by the many PA community volunteer leaders who host book clubs, plan parent hikes and bike rides, bake cookies for teachers, host new families and grade-level potlucks, help in the library and classrooms, and reach out to those in our community who are in need. As a group we are inspired to continue the Parent Association mission of working to build the culture of community in our school and to help families feel connected.
What I love most about the Parent Association at CA is that it encompasses all of us, every single parent and guardian in our community—those who have been here for more years than can be counted and those who have just joined us! There are so many different ways to join in the community here on campus and beyond. We would love to work (and play) with you, get to know you better, and continue to build the culture and friendships of the very special place that is Colorado Academy. Come get involved in YOUR Parent Association.