Aliso Niguel High School’s PTSA program is an important part of the school, allowing students and their parents to make a difference.
The PTSA stands for Parent, Teacher, Student Association as it joins all mentioned parties in order to aid in the school’s higher decision making. This group is much more influential than the PTA commonly found in Elementary and Middle School, as it directly converses with Principal Hatcher and the higher authority of Aliso Niguel High School.
The PTSA program no longer provides enriching programs for students, rather they work in conjunction with Principal Hatcher to provide important input. It is common that Mr. Hatcher may reach out to the PTSA for parental opinion on school matters as they all have children who attend the school. This extra voice of input is crucial for the school administration as it provides a different perspective on a slew of different topics.
Additionally the PTSA helps with volunteer work. If a school event requires chaperones, many parents step up to the role as volunteers. This allows them to actively participate in their children’s events, something that many parents feel without, due to the increasing independence of high schoolers.
The Vice President, Mrs. Emily Cravens describes their work as “supporting, kind of, behind the scenes.”
The PTSA is run by an executive board consisting of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Financial Reviewer, an Auditor and a Historian. This group meets monthly to discuss upcoming school events and funding. These positions are chosen by a yearly meeting of a nominating committee who choose the slate of officers for the coming school year.
All executive board member roles are filled exclusively by adults as they commonly handle money.
One of the most important roles of the executive board is the filling of the school’s funding gaps. They decide where the school’s budget is allocated and make sure all the money is properly spent.
Last month’s board meeting main topic was focused on the grants for teachers. Every year, teachers have the opportunity to propose a project for their class, which requires a large amount of funding, and then have the board of executives decide whether or not to issue a grant. Last board meeting saw 12 $750 grants issued to teachers.
This month’s board meeting will take place on Nov. 14, 2023. The main topic will be focused on the recognition of the school’s art reflection winners. The meeting will also attempt to push for more tables with umbrellas in the eating areas for students.
A little known role of the PTSA is the upkeep and running of the Student Store. This small room is located directly across from the main office entrance and provides students with school themed merchandise. The store is completely ran and funded by PTSA volunteers.
The PTSA program also includes students, providing incentives for long term members. Teal Care is a system of publicly recognizing students with at least 25 hours of PTSA volunteer work. This is a great addition to a college application. Additionally, for upperclassman participants, a senior scholarship is awarded yearly, providing financial aid for further education.
PTSA is completely run by volunteers, who are mainly parents. So for parents looking to get involved in PSTA, Mrs. Cravens encourages it; “I really think it’s a great way for parents to get involved in the high school level.”
The PTSA is an integral part of Aliso Niguel High School’s upper management, providing an important voice to school wide decisions.
