GH Lions PTA Award Highlights

GH Lions PTA was honored at the 15th District PTA Awards Ceremony with recognitions celebrating membership, family engagement, communications, student support, volunteer leadership, and special projects.

Highlights included:

• Outstanding Volunteer Awards for Beth Mitchell and Whitley

• Hall of Fame nominations for Mr. Ice, Ms. Slusher, and Ms. Sanders

• Hall of Fame Award presented to Ms. Sanders

• Membership campaign recognition

• Men of the Mane recognition for 100+ dads and father figures

• Exemplifying PTA Student Award

• FRYSC Award

• Local Unit Communications Award

• Special Project Awards for Math in Action, Pops in the Park, and Red & White Family Ball

These awards reflect the dedication of our families, volunteers, teachers, staff, administrators, students, and community partners.

GH Lions PTA Roars at the 15th District PTA Awards Ceremony

A night of celebration, recognition, and Lion pride

The 15th District PTA Awards Ceremony is truly one of the most special nights of the PTA year — a night where PTA units from across JCPS come together to celebrate service, advocacy, family engagement, student support, creativity, and the incredible volunteer work happening in schools across our district.

It is a little like the Oscars of PTA — a room filled with people who care deeply about students, families, teachers, schools, and communities.

As GH Lions PTA board members, we attended with excitement and gratitude. We were looking forward to celebrating alongside other amazing PTAs and learning more about the creative ways schools across JCPS are reaching students, supporting families, and making a difference.

But as the evening continued, we could not stop feeling amazed by one thing:

How far our own GH Lions PTA team has come.

This year has been full of new ideas, new programs, new partnerships, new challenges, and many moments where volunteers simply said, “Yes, we can try.” The awards ceremony reminded us that those efforts were not only meaningful within our school community — they were also seen, appreciated, and celebrated beyond our building.

A special thank you to our school leaders

We are especially grateful to our school administrators, Ms. Slusher and Mr. Ice, for attending and supporting GH Lions PTA during such a busy and hectic time of year.

The end of the school year is always packed with testing, celebrations, transitions, performances, field trips, meetings, and countless behind-the-scenes responsibilities. Even with all of that, they made time to be present with us.

Their support matters.

Strong PTA work is only possible when there is a strong partnership between families, volunteers, teachers, staff, and school leadership. We are thankful for the encouragement, collaboration, and trust that helped make so many of this year’s PTA efforts possible.

GH Lions PTA showed up and roared

GH Lions PTA was honored with multiple recognitions throughout the evening.

By the end of the night, we joked that we might need an Uber just to help bring all the awards home!

All jokes aside, each award represented something much bigger than a certificate or plaque. Each one reflected hours of planning, late-night messages, volunteer coordination, school support, parent participation, student excitement, and a shared belief that PTA can help create meaningful experiences for every child.

Award Highlights

Outstanding Volunteer Awards

We were thrilled to celebrate two incredible GH Lions PTA volunteers who received Outstanding Volunteer Awards.

Beth Mitchell

Beth was recognized for her leadership, service, and outreach, especially through her work connected to the Red & White Family Ball and her efforts to strengthen relationships with local businesses and community partners.

Her work helped bring families together and helped our PTA build stronger bridges beyond the school walls. Community support plays such an important role in making PTA programs possible, and Beth’s dedication helped move that work forward in a meaningful way.

Whitley

Whitley was recognized for her outstanding leadership in planning and executing a major PTA fundraiser with extraordinary care, organization, and attention to detail.

This fundraiser was not simple. It involved many moving parts, lots of coordination, and a high level of planning. Yet the event came together beautifully.

One perfect example: at the end of the evening, after serving more than 300 attendees, there were exactly four slices of pizza left.

That kind of execution does not happen by accident. It takes thoughtful planning, strong teamwork, calm leadership, and the ability to manage details from beginning to end. We are so grateful for Whitley’s leadership and for every volunteer who helped make the event successful.

Hall of Fame Recognition

One of the most meaningful parts of the evening was seeing three members of our Greathouse Shryock community recognized as Hall of Fame nominees:

• Mr. Ice

• Ms. Slusher

• Ms. Sanders

Each year, only one person across the 15th District PTA receives the Hall of Fame Award. This year, that honor went to our very own Ms. Sanders.

Congratulations, Ms. Sanders

Ms. Sanders’ recognition is a beautiful reflection of years of service, dedication, and commitment to students.

She represents the heart of what PTA stands for: supporting children, encouraging growth, building community, and creating a school environment where students feel seen, supported, and nurtured.

Her work has touched many lives over the years, and this award is a well-deserved celebration of her impact.

Ms. Sanders is a true example of service, kindness, and student-centered leadership. We are so proud to celebrate her as this year’s 15th District PTA Hall of Fame Award recipient.

Celebrating GH Lions PTA Programs and Projects

This year, GH Lions PTA was also recognized for several programs, campaigns, and special projects that helped strengthen our school community.

These awards were especially meaningful because many of these efforts were new, expanded, or reimagined this year.

Membership and Family Engagement

GH Lions PTA received recognition for our membership efforts and family engagement work.

Membership is more than a number. Every membership represents someone choosing to support our students, our teachers, our families, and our school community.

This year’s membership campaign helped us build stronger connections and invite more families into the PTA mission.

Men of the Mane

We were proud to be recognized for Men of the Mane, celebrating more than 100 dads and father figures supporting our school.

This initiative helped highlight the importance of welcoming dads, grandfathers, uncles, guardians, and father figures into school life. Their presence, encouragement, and involvement make a difference for students and strengthen the entire school community.

Exemplifying PTA Student Award

GH Lions PTA was also incredibly proud to celebrate Tohan, who received the Exemplifying PTA Student Award.

This recognition celebrates the idea that PTA is not only about adults volunteering for students — it is also about helping students grow as leaders, helpers, and contributors to their school community.

Tohan was the only elementary student to receive this recognition and one of only two students across all of JCPS to be honored with this award, with the other recipient being a high school student.

His recognition is a beautiful reminder that student leadership can begin early. Whether through service, participation, encouragement, or simply showing up with kindness and school spirit, students have the power to make their school community better.

We are proud of Tohan and grateful for the many ways our GH Lions students bring energy, kindness, and Lion pride into everything we do.

FRYSC Award

GH Lions PTA was honored with a FRYSC Award, recognizing work connected to supporting families and students.

Family support is a key part of the PTA mission. When schools, families, and community partners work together, we can help remove barriers, create opportunities, and make sure students feel supported both inside and outside the classroom.

Local Unit Communications Award

GH Lions PTA received the Local Unit Communications Award, recognizing our efforts to keep families informed, connected, and engaged.

Clear communication helps families feel included. Whether through newsletters, social media, flyers, website updates, event reminders, or direct outreach, our goal has been to make PTA information easier to find, easier to understand, and easier for families to act on.

This recognition belongs to every person who helped write, design, share, post, remind, translate, explain, and encourage participation throughout the year.

Special Project Awards

We were especially proud that all three of our major special projects received recognition:

• Math in Action

• Pops in the Park

• Red & White Family Ball

Each of these projects added something unique to our school community. Each one complemented the PTA mission in a different way. And each one represented something new or expanded for GH Lions PTA.

Math in Action

Math in Action brought academic enrichment, problem-solving, and joyful learning into the PTA space.

The goal was simple: help students see that math can be fun, creative, challenging, and exciting.

Through Math in Action, students had opportunities to stretch their thinking, try new problems, and engage with math beyond the regular classroom experience. The program encouraged participation, celebrated effort, and helped build confidence.

This recognition is a celebration of our students, families, teachers, and volunteers who supported a new academic enrichment effort and helped it grow.

Pops in the Park

Pops in the Park helped create a relaxed and welcoming way for families to connect.

Sometimes the most meaningful PTA events are not complicated. Sometimes all it takes is a park, popsicles, families, students, conversation, and a little time together.

Pops in the Park gave families a chance to meet, reconnect, and build community outside the rush of the school day. It supported belonging, friendship, and family engagement in a simple but powerful way.

Red & White Family Ball

The Red & White Family Ball brought joy, celebration, and school spirit to life.

This event gave families a chance to dress up, dance, laugh, take photos, and make memories together. It was a beautiful example of PTA creating moments that students and families will remember long after the school year ends.

The event required thoughtful planning, volunteer teamwork, decorations, logistics, communication, setup, cleanup, and countless small details. Its success reflected the strength of our volunteer community.

Why These Awards Matter

Awards are wonderful, but the real meaning behind them is much deeper.

These recognitions are not about one person or one night.

They represent:

• Parents giving their time after work and during busy family schedules

• Volunteers planning events after bedtime and during lunch breaks

• Teachers and staff encouraging participation

• Administrators supporting new ideas

• Families showing up

• Students participating with joy

• Community partners saying yes

• Board members working behind the scenes

• New ideas becoming real programs

This year, GH Lions PTA tried new things. Some were big. Some were small. Some were simple. Some were complex. But all of them were rooted in the same goal:

To make our school community stronger, more connected, more joyful, and more supportive for every child.

Thank You to Our GH Lions Community

To our volunteers: thank you for saying yes.

To our parents and families: thank you for showing up, participating, donating, sharing, encouraging, and trusting PTA with your time and energy.

To our teachers and staff: thank you for supporting our programs and helping students feel excited about school community events.

To our administrators: thank you for your partnership, encouragement, and steady support.

To our students: thank you for bringing the joy, curiosity, laughter, and Lion pride that make all of this worthwhile.

To our community partners and business supporters: thank you for investing in our school and helping us do more for students and families.

None of this happens alone.

It takes a village — and GH Lions have an incredible one.

A Night to Remember

The 15th District PTA Awards Ceremony was more than a night of awards.

It was a reminder of what PTA can be when families, school leaders, staff, students, and volunteers work together.

It was a reminder that new ideas are worth trying.

It was a reminder that small acts of service add up.

It was a reminder that when people come together for children, the impact is powerful.

We are proud of what GH Lions PTA accomplished this year, and even more grateful for the people who made it possible.

Way to ROAR, GH Lions!

🦁💙💛

Photo Gallery 

(COMING SOON)

GH Lions PTA board members at the 15th District PTA Awards Ceremony

Celebrating a night of PTA service, leadership, and Lion pride

Honoring our Outstanding Volunteer Award recipients

Congratulations to our Hall of Fame nominees and award recipient

Recognizing programs that brought families, students, and volunteers together

A proud night for Greathouse Shryock and GH Lions PTA