Many of our wonderful AACPS volunteers assist students, or initiate successful fundraisers, or organize family involvement events, or coordinate staff appreciation lunches, or provide copy and laminating services for the office and teachers, or inspire other parents to volunteer. Jacobsville Elementary School, boasts a rare school volunteer who typically tends to all of those tasks – often in the same day.
Mrs. Lisa Collins, you are that exceptional volunteer, and so, today, the Board of Education is proud to honor you as our October Volunteer of the Month.
Jacobsville’s reading teacher, Tara Kohler, explained that Lisa didn’t hesitate to volunteer in her son’s kindergarten classroom five years ago, and she soon found herself on the PTA board where she remains today. As a PTA board member, Lisa Collins has served for several years as chair of The Race for Education – the PTA’s sole and very successful fundraiser that provided additional novels for students, classroom supplies for teachers, enriching cultural arts assemblies, and SMART boards for classrooms.
Lisa is busy at the school throughout each school day. Before the morning bell, she quizzes students’ reading comprehension during the Chessie Club reading program. Her next stop is the Jaguar Market, where students cash in their earned PBIS Jaguar Dollars for supplies and prizes, then she’s onto the office and teachers’ work areas to assist with clerical duties. During the afternoons and evenings, Lisa is a fixture at family involvement events and PTA meetings. As volunteer coordinator, Lisa continues to bridge the gap between home and school, building the volunteer program, ensuring everyone feels welcome to the school.
Last Thanksgiving, Lisa coordinated volunteers to prepare and cook a full Thanksgiving feast for the entire staff of Jacobsville Elementary. Far from viewing this as an inconvenience, Lisa seized the opportunity to show the administrators, teachers, and other staff members how much they were appreciated. She enlisted parents for food preparation and even inspired students to serve dinner, dressed in their Sunday best. Lisa’s warmth, creativity, and organizational skills, ensured a wonderful time for all staff and volunteers.
Ms. Kohler adds, “Lisa has generously donated over 1,000 hours to the Jacobsville Elementary School and community, for which we are truly grateful.”