During this back to school membership drive, many of us have gotten the question "What does the Middle/High School PTA do?"  The answer is easy - A LOT!  I'll start with some background information.

First of all, the Town of West Boylston is very lucky to have not one but two very active PTA organizations within our school district.  In Massachusetts, Middle/High School PTA organizations are extremely rare.  Secondly, the PTA at Major Edwards is a separate entity from the Middle/High School PTA.  Membership in one does not mean membership in the other.  The mission of both organizations is to support the teachers and students at their respective school, however, how each does that is different.  The needs of the students and teachers at the MHS are very different than the needs of those in an elementary school.  The two organizations do work together many times throughout the year and a recent example is the Teacher Appreciation Back to School Luncheon for the faculty of both schools that was held on September 1.  Both organizations have been sponsoring this lunch the day before school starts for many years.

So what does the MHS PTA do?  First of all, membership includes the financial support to help us fund and support our programs, but meeting attendance and volunteerism aren't as crucial.  Most of our volunteers come in the form of student groups within our school.  For instance, when a Senior class member helps us with a particular fundraiser they are meeting a requirement for one of the scholarships that the PTA gives out at graduation.  For students in other classes, this means meeting the community service requirements for their particular club like the National Honor Society.  "Friends for Change" sells refreshments at the Middle School Play as a fundraising opportunity.  The students help us while we are helping them.  This being said, there are times when we occasionally do need parent volunteers.

Every year in October, we sponsor Career Day for the current high school students.  Professionals make slide show presentations on their particular career but what makes this so special?  Each professional is paired with a student in Lynn Pelto's Visual Communications class and the student prepares the slide show presentation.  As a result the student gets their Adobe Certification.  Another example of the students helping us to help them!

We sponsor the Middle School play every Spring.  This allows students in grades 6 - 8 the opportunity to experience the thrill of performing on stage or working behind the scenes of a production before they have the chance to do it in high school.

Scholarships for seniors at graduation, costs associated with Senior Night, Middle School Back to School supply tool kits, and teacher requests are all things that the Middle/High School PTA supports.

Our goal for the 2015-2016 school year is to support more teacher requests for classroom materials, field trips, etc.  Your MHS PTA membership will help to support these goals.  Please consider helping us to support the teachers in providing a quality educational opportunity for the students at West Boylston Middle High School.

For a membership form, please visit the PTA section of the West Boylston Middle/High School website.  You can also find the PTA on Facebook at West Boylston Middle/High School PTA or you can email us wbmhspta@wbschools.com.