HP_082318

16 | August 23, 2018 | The highland park landmark news
hplandmark.com
‘Hamilton’ actor visits Northwood, school forms PTO
Submitted by Todd Winer
While the traditional PTA
Bake Sale hasn’t completely
disappeared from Highland
Park schools, with high-tech
white boards in every class and
Chromebooks in every student’s
book bag, parental support of
teacher projects to enhance students
learning have adapted.
For starters, the Northwood
Junior High School PTA is now
the PTO (Parent Teacher Organization).
“Creating the new parentteacher
entity allowed us to maximize
our fundraising dollars,”
former president Jayme Muriel
said. “Our number one goal is to
help teachers help students, and
having to pay dues to another
organization detracted from that
effort.”
The changes instituted in the
2017-18 academic year were part
of a pilot project to re-imagine
and reinvigorate engagement between
parents and teachers. Step
one in the process was to create
a parent-teacher liaison to work
directly with school staff. Lisa
Helfand, a public school teacher
herself, led the effort.
“We wanted to strengthen the
“T” in PTO,” Helfand said. “I
went to faculty meetings, gave
presentations and brainstormed
with staff about the best way to
support student learning.”
Helfand introduced a new
streamlined funding effort called
Teacher’s WIN, or What I Need,
to give teachers a simpler, more
direct way of requesting support.
“As much as we try and plan
ahead for the school year, there
will always be projects initiated
mid-year based on student interest,”
Northwood Principal Joanne
Dimitriou said. “The WIN program
gives teachers added flexibility
to obtain financial support
for these special projects.”
One example of a PTO funded
project was bringing “Hamilton”
cast member Jose Ramos, who
played both John Laurens and
Philip Hamilton in the Chicago
production of the musical, to
Northwood for a masterclass for
the understandably awestruck
cast and crew of the school’s
“Suessical Junior” musical.
Northwood teacher and musical
director Nancy Cohen said
students were “thrilled” to have
the chance to meet and work
with a “Hamilton” actor.
“His appearance and work
with the students energized the
cast…He brought a huge amount
of positivity,” Cohen said.
The young Latino actor was
also “a great role model for our
Hispanic students,” according to
Cohen.
Helfand called the masterclass
“a once in a lifetime experience.”
“Sitting in a circle and rapping
songs from ‘Hamilton’ was
a great moment for them, a moment
of pure joy,” Helfand said.
Incoming PTO president
Jose Ramos, an actor from the Chicago production of “Hamilton,”
speaks to students at Northwood Junior High School as part of a
master class funded by the Northwood Parent Teacher Organization.
Photo submitted
Samia Bokhari said the group
can’t support such creative projects
without the involvement of
Northwood parents.
“Becoming a member of the
PTO and participating in our
fundraising efforts makes a real
difference in the educational
experience of our children,”
Bokhari said.
For more information on the
Northwood Parent Teacher Organization,
please visit www.
nwpto.net.
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