Male Involvement at the Local Level

Last May, Carmel Elementary School in Woodstock, Georgia, made local history and elected two male executive board members for the 2009-10 school year: Paul McIntosh as president (he served as co-president last year at Manning Oaks Elementary School in Fulton County) and Gary Parkes as vice president (he is a two-year board member of Carmel’s PTA, where he served as the Dad’s Club Chair). 
 
Both men attended the National PTA Conference and witnessed history in the making. When they walked into the conference they were filming the “I am PTA” video (on YouTube), which featured men and women of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds.  The slogan for PTA is “Every Child. One Voice” and the diversification of the PTA membership furthers that goal. Townelaker magazine in Woodstock interviewed Parkes and McIntosh to record their hopes and goals for the PTA.

What led to you taking a leadership role with Carmel PTA?
McIntosh:  I was very impressed with Carmel Elementary’s standing in the community and am a firm believer that there is no better way to show your child the importance of education than by supporting the school by working with the PTA.  My family and I moved to Woodstock in December of last school year from Alpharetta where I served as the PTA co-president of Manning Oaks Elementary. My passion falls in the area of academic enrichment and when the PTA Nominating Committee from Carmel first contacted me I told them I would volunteer to chair the Accelerated Reader program for the 09-10 school year.  The PTA Nominating Committee asked me to consider running for PTA president.  The rest is history.  We have an awesome PTA board and I am happy to be working alongside an awesome group of parents that is positively impacting the lives of our children!

Parkes: I had proudly served on the Carmel PTA board for two years and was looking to do more but was not sure what that would entail.  The nominating committee asked me to consider running for a VP spot on the board and I was happy to serve.  I am proud of what we have already accomplished in just a few months.  Parental involvement is key to a child’s performance and I want to further parental involvement in the lives of our children.  Having also served as one of two male Room Parents a few years back, I saw the need for male leadership and its importance.
 
What are your goals for the current school year?
McIntosh: Our overall goal and how we start each Executive Board meeting is that we agree “Do what serves the best interest of the majority of our children, and do it the absolute best that you possibly can!”  Simply stated: Involvement.  We have tried to be as inclusive and inviting as possible to the parents, staff, students, and community.  This year we have a teacher on the Executive Board, and a community business owner and local corporate leaders serving on the Board of Directors. None of these volunteers have children in our school and offer unique perspectives that bring value to our TEAM. T.E.A.M is the slogan we adopted for the theme of this school year.  Together Everyone Achieves More. It adds in perfectly...don't you think?

Parkes: In building on inclusion, we are proud to have several business partners working with the PTA this year.  We are also trying to do more with less and to make things easier for our families during these economic times.  We want to deliver quality programs and events while being very fiscally conscious.  Another priority this year was to increase schoolwide communication which furthers the goal of inclusion for all.  We also have a new website, www.carmelpta.org, that was designed by one of our longtime father volunteers, a Facebook Group called Carmel Elementary School PTA, and a Twitter account @carmelpta.  We have also worked hard to brand and market the PTA and its events and those efforts appear to be working We were fortunate to have a Carmel father donate his time and graphic design experience in helping with this new branding concept.  We have had greater attendance than ever at schoolwide events such as the Sock Hop and Fall Festival.  Our schoolwide participation in our Reflections program, Box Tops, and Sunshine Math, to name a few, are also higher than ever.

Do you think there is a difference in having male leadership rather than the traditional female PTA leadership?
McIntosh:  I think men and women approach things differently, and one is not better suited than the other. What makes the most difference is that every heart is in the right place. Our Executive Board is made up of eight people that come from various backgrounds and experience.  There is a profound difference in studies related to father involvement in primary schools.  Statistically, a student whose father is involved in their school is 90 percent more likely to get all A's on their report cards.  I think that if two fathers volunteering their time to serve brings more fathers into the school, then it will, in turn, make a difference in the lives of the children of Carmel. The most important thing is not gender, but rather one’s dedication to the children and one’s desire to serve the best interests of the group’s members.  Gary and I happen to be rare in that there are two male leaders involved on the same PTA Executive Board, but it is my hope that in the future we will see male leadership in local PTAs become the norm rather than the exception.

Parkes:  One thing I have noticed this school year is that there are more men than ever in our schools.  Perhaps just our involvement and presence makes coming to the school to have lunch with their child, read to the class, chaperone a field trip, and help with centers a little easier.  I would like to think we have eased the barrier to entry, even if it is subconscious.  It is amazing that the smallest changes can make a big difference on a level that most are not aware.  I would like to see the PTA evolve to having a good balance in all areas, including gender. It is my hope that in a few years, we would not even be having a conversation like this, but rather it would be a cohesive mix of parents, teachers, students, administration, business leaders and community members.