The Tupper Lake Central School District office is seen on Aug. 10. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

TUPPER LAKE — It takes a village to raise a child.

That core philosophy, put into action by a desire to simply help in any way that she can, is what drove Nina Hair to want to form the Tupper Lake Central School District Parent Teacher Organization.

The TLCSD PTO absorbed the LPQers — which previously served as a parent-teacher group focused exclusively on the district’s L.P. Quinn Elementary School — and is a “rebranded and expanded” version of it, offering assistance to all grades, Pre-K through 12.

Hair, who has two children in elementary school, saw that there was ample interest amongst district parents throughout the various grade levels, but many didn’t exactly know how they could get involved, or what the most effective way to lend their support might be. That’s when the idea to build on and expand the PTO beyond L.P. Quinn started to come about.

Given people’s busy lives between work and home, Hair said some parents who could, and want, to be potential helpers, understandably weren’t aware of the latest happenings at the school. She sees the PTO as a way to coordinate and overcome that.

“We want to be able to bridge that communication gap and get parents more involved,” she said.

Hair met with district officials to get a sense of what the best way to build the PTO might be. She worked closely with Board Member Sabrina Shipman, Superintendent Jaycee Welsh and LPQers leaders Jessica Kohan and Courtney Bennett to start envisioning the TLCSD PTO’s future, while completing the arduous paperwork process to get the group incorporated as a non-profit organization, which is a crucial component to fundraise as a partner, but distinct, organization from the school district.

“We’re super excited about it,” Welsh said. “When there is a parent-teacher organization that is constantly talking about fundraising and offering and volunteering, it’s always in the conversation. It’s not these little minute splintered opportunities. It’s much more succinct and it’s much more of a holistic effort.”

Coincidentally, Hair learned that the TLCSD PTO’s application had been officially approved by the state Department of State on Sept. 4, the first day of classes.

“That was a really great start to the school year,” she said.

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Hitting the ground running

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As the approval process was underway, the TLCSD PTO met informally, beginning last year to brainstorm activities it could help play a part in organizing once it was official. That’s when the idea for a Heroes and Helpers Night came about. The goal is to bring together district families and various first-responder and emergency service organizations that serve the Tupper Lake community.

Hair said the Tupper Lake Village Police Department, Tupper Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Tupper Lake EMS and possibly the Franklin County Sheriff will be in attendance at the event. She added that there are various activities planned to help kids to become familiar with the first responders, learn a bit about what they do and show that they should always feel comfortable approaching them, especially during an emergency.

The Heroes and Helpers Night is slated to take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at the Tupper Lake Emergency Services Building, 21 Santa Clara Ave. School Safety Officer Mike Godin will be on hand at the event, where he will be doing a book reading. The event is open to the public, and Hair encouraged families with children at all different grade levels with the district to attend.

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Going forward

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Heroes and Helpers Night is one of many upcoming events the TLCSD PTO intends to organize. Much of the group’s schedule involves keeping events previously put on by the LPQers going, such as the scholastic book fair and Cookie Night in December.

Some of the TLCSD PTO’s work will also be somewhat spontaneous, as various events and projects come up that teachers or district staff could use a helping hand in. Much of that involves fundraising.

“We know that teachers have a lot on their plates. A lot of times, they have to take on burdens that they shouldn’t,” Hair said. “I know a lot of teachers out of pocket spend for supplies for their classrooms, for certain curriculum projects or things that they need that, because of budget constraints, they can’t get.”

When those needs come up, Hair said the TLCSD PTO wants to be there to help them out. Besides financial assistance, Hair said a major role of the group will be to coordinate and provide volunteers when needed. This could be for a school concert that needs people to staff a ticket counter or a field trip that needs another chaperone.

Student safety is at the forefront of this, and volunteers need to get fingerprinted and pass background checks as well as be approved by the school board before becoming volunteers. It’s a lengthy but very necessarily-thorough onboarding process. The goal isn’t to take any shortcuts, though Hair said the PTO could make it a potentially easier process by explaining and helping district volunteers understand all of the various steps they must complete to become a district-approved volunteer.

In addition to logistics support, there are also some new events that Hair is looking forward to, such as a book exchange.

“We have a bunch of books that are either donated or otherwise would have been discarded by libraries,” she said. “We want to be able to give every child a book. Some kids don’t have the means to access a hard copy of a book, so that’s one thing that we want to provide.”

Just as the TLCSD PTO helps in school, Hair said it’s a good opportunity for parents to meet and discuss ways they can help keep their child learning the majority of the time that they spend outside of school. Hair said it’s an opportunity to workshop ideas that make learning fun, exciting and ultimately appealing to kids, rather than having the feel of another assignment or chore.

Hair said a big part of teaching isn’t simply saying, but doing. By being involved in groups such as the PTO, Hair said parents convey the importance and benefits of civic involvement to their children.

“I’ve always felt a strong drive to help people and to educate,” she said. “That’s definitely my driving force behind being a part of this. Even if I can’t help 100%, I still try to help some percent because I’m just a helper — that’s how I’m built.”

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Getting involved

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Hair noted that the TLCSD is in the midst of expanding its own email and point of contact as an organization, but that in the meantime, people interested in becoming involved should reach out to her directly. They can either email her at nina.m.tice@gmail.com or, if they have Facebook, message her there at tinyurl.com/2tatd6jn.

The group meets on the third Monday of each month, though Hair noted that the location changes based on which spaces are available. Google Calendar invites are sent out in advance with that information, and Hair added that there is also a Google Meet link for people to join the meetings virtually, offering some flexibility.

“That was a big thing — wanting to make these meetings completely accessible for everybody,” she said. “We all have busy lives and have different things going on.”

There are currently around 20 active members, and while Hair said it was a good start, the group is always looking for newcomers. The mission, she said, is as important as it gets.

“We’re working together to help enrich the lives of our children and the students of the Tupper Lake Central School District,” she said. “The more people we can get involved in helping to facilitate that, the better.”