Last year, a couple of weeks before the end of the school year Laura Castelli asked me if I wanted to join her in being co-president of the Chenery PTO. Having been the co-president of the Wellington PTO during the COVID pandemic, I knew being co-president of an organization that’s in transition would be a challenge. But I also knew Laura and was excited about the opportunity.
A few days after I said yes, Laura and I were told that Chenery’s principal was moving on and we didn’t know who was going to be in that seat.
We took the summer to work on getting the new Chenery PTO started, but we didn’t have the chance to do a lot of the typical summer planning because it wasn’t until the second week of August that Ms. O’Brien was named interim.
The start of the school year was a bit bumpy, but we worked on making the most of it with first day of school coffees and a few PTO principal coffees. As the days and weeks went on, the road started to smooth out. We printed a directory, started After School Extracurriculars, and stocked the school with supplies.
By spring, we were in a groove. After a successful annual fundraiser we were planning enrichment visits, held a Science Night, and much, much more.
As I close out this year, I am so proud of how far we’ve come - and I’m very excited to see what is to come next year here at Chenery. As I’ll be moving down the hill to be co-president of the Belmont Middle School PTO, there are many, many opportunities here with the Chenery PTO. You are in fantastic hands with Laura Castelli and others who have already come forward to offer to help. Join them! I encourage you to get involved. It is truly so fulfilling and gratifying.
Thank you, Chenery, for a great year. It’s been fun! Now, have a great summer!
Kara Sassone
Outgoing PTO Co-president
Laura Castelli
PTO Co-President