As she has done throughout her volunteer career, Amy Wangdahl thought she was coming to yesterday’s Board of Education for others. As it turns out, the spotlight was on her.
For the near dozen years that she has volunteered her time and energy at Bodkin Elementary School and throughout the Chesapeake Cluster and the thousands of ways in which students have benefitted from her work, Wangdahl has been named the 2022 Anne Arundel County Public Schools Volunteer of the Year.
“I always saw volunteering as a way to see my children during the school day and how they interacted, learned, and grew,” she said. “As my career demanded more time in the office, I couldn’t be in the classroom as much, so I started volunteering for events. One event grew into more events until I just couldn’t put my hand down. Through these events, I developed friendship with school staff, administrators and other parents that I never would have had I not raised my hand.
“I’ve been so fortunate to have amazing administrators that allowed us to do some pretty fun things the past few years,” she added. “Seeing kids in the community have fun at events with their friends, and parents enjoying themselves has always been the reason why – not for the thank you, but to let others have a few minutes of peace and fun, and see that we appreciate them for being in the Chesapeake CommUNITY. And volunteering has brought some amazing people into my life that I will forever be thankful for.”
Described as “one of a kind” and “the epitome of extraordinary,” Wangdahl has done it all over the course of her volunteer career. She has served as the PTA treasurer, created Bodkin Elementary’s annual “Santa Saturday,” spearheaded recruitment sponsorships to fund theatrical productions at Chesapeake High School, and even served as the manager for Buddy the Bulldog, ensuring that the beloved Bodkin Elementary mascot makes it to his appearances on time.
“Ms. Wangdahl and her family can be counted on in every way imaginable,” Zachary Jones, assistant principal at Chesapeake Bay Middle School, wrote in a nominate letter for the award. “She spends countless hours at the school and through her outstanding performance, she has inspired many families at Chesapeake Bay Middle, Chesapeake High, and Bodkin Elementary to get more involved. She is a vital asset to our entire Chesapeake Cluster family.”
Bodkin Elementary parent and fellow PTA member Jennie Bull called Wangdahl’s unparalleled.
“I have been amazed at the many hats Amy wears, and she wears them so well,” Bull wrote. “Any one of those hats would be too much for most people, yet she takes on more and more because she doesn’t want the kids to miss out on a single thing. She is deserving of the highest honor a volunteer can receive.”