“We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in our hands to make a difference.” – Nelson Mandela
A Farm-to-Table Learning Experience with Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies PTSA (31st District)
This month, we are thrilled to highlight the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies PTSA (SOCES) for creating a farm-to-table garden for their campus! The farm-to-table garden supports its school’s culinary classes and clubs by giving students access to fresh ingredients for foods like cabbage, broccoli, chives, lettuce, winter squash, and more.
SOCES is one of the few schools in the greater Los Angeles area to have a newly built five-star culinary kitchen for the students to use. But what’s a culinary kitchen without a chef? SOCES PTSA leader Bonnie Wall credits Chef Avila for teaching the school’s culinary program. “We revel in the fact that our chef is one of the best in the country,” said Bonnie.
This hands-on learning experience was made possible through the partnership of PTSA members, ChefAvila, Los Angeles Unified School District’sAgriculture and Food Service and Hospitality program, Mr. List, and many students. Together, they cleaned up the abandoned garden by weeding, removing molded dirt, fixing 18 irrigation lines, filling it with rich soil, and planting all the donated plants. Bonnie considers the garden a two-fold win that brought together their local stakeholders and students. “The community was engaged and had a great time, AND we were able to make this area useful again for a unique program…The best results are yet to come as the vegetables and fruits grow,” said Bonnie.
We are incredibly proud of the SOCES community who helped bring the Farm to Table garden to life to provide children with a meaningful learning experience.
Miwok Village PTA Reaches Over 300 Memberships (Third District)
Congratulations to Miwok Village PTA for kicking off the year strong, achieving over 300 memberships early in the 2024-2025 school year! Miwok Village PTA President Melinda Wilson shared the key steps that helped their PTA reach this milestone:
- Membership Drive: At the beginning of the year, they hosted a membership drive for their school.
- Communications Plan: They crafted a communication plan that included flyers, banners, emails, and in-person opportunities to join their PTA online or in-person. Their PTA leaders also dedicated outreach hours at their school entrance before and after school to spread the word about PTA.
- Special Prizes & Giveaways: For every adult that joined the PTA, they gave their student a goodie bag! Miwok Village PTA also planned special prizes for the top classes in each grade, consisting of an arts/crafts party. The class with the highest percentage of students whose adults joined also received a trophy that will be passed down every year.
- School Wide Goal: To push their membership drive, they set a schoolwide goal, which they surpassed!
We are beyond proud of the hard work Miwok Village PTA has committed to PTA membership to impact the lives of children and families positively!
As we prepare for the next half of the school year, we look forward to highlighting more PTA stories. We encourage your PTA to share any highlight or success story with us to be included in our next “PTA Highlights of the Month.” Submit a PTA Success Story Submission Form to share about your PTA’s impact.