Meet this year’s PTO Presidents
Emily Frost
Brookwood Forest
About Emily: I am originally from a small town called Geneva, Ala. I got my undergrad degree at the University of Alabama in accounting and also attended law school at Alabama. Between my second and third year of Law School I married my husband of 18 years, Jim. We have lived in Mountain Brook for the past 16 years and have two children, Payne and Vaughn.
School PTO events: Ranger PTO Auction is our big winter fundraiser. In the past, it was a silent auction held at the school, but in February 2011, we moved the auction off-sight and had a live auction in addition to the silent auction. One of the highlights of auction each year is teacher outings. All the teachers donate their time and a special outing for the lucky top-bidder. For class baskets, each grade donates a themed basket for the live auction. Auction is a chance for parents, grandparents, teachers, and staff to get together in a social setting, have a great time and raise money for our school.
Vision for the upcoming year: This year we made significant changes to our future fundraising schedule. We also started a strategic planning committee to help direct our fundraising efforts. My goal for Ranger PTO for the upcoming school year is to implement a smooth transition to our new fundraising schedule and integrate our long-term goals into all aspects of Ranger PTO: planning, fundraising and budgeting.
Dena Berte
Cherokee Bend
About Dena: I grew up in the B i r m i n g h a m , Nashville and the Atlanta area before moving back to Alabama for college. I attended the University of Alabama, where I got my accounting degree and moved back to Birmingham after graduation. My husband, Scott, originally from Birmingham, also graduated with an accounting degree from Birmingham-Southern. The two of us met while working at the same accounting firm. We moved to Mountain Brook in 2002 and love the community here. We have three daughters who all attend Cherokee Bend, Carolanne (12), Sara Frances (10) and Elli Kate (8).
School PTO event: We started a new fundraiser this past March through the vision of our then PTO President Amy Roberts called The Bend’s Got Talent. It was an amazing event and so energizing. Every student had the crowd on their feet. We will be doing it again next year. Mini Courses is a three-week program offered to sixth graders in the beginning of May. The program offers a variety of parent and teacher-led classes for an hour in the afternoon. Some of the classes offered are sewing, cooking, fly fishing and ping pong.
Vision for the upcoming year: I see the mission of the Cherokee Bend PTO as a group of parents who work collectively toward the same goal: quality education for our children. We are there to support the teachers, administration and staff in creating a positive and enriching school environment for our children to flourish. The PTO is able to do this not only financially but also with talented and resourceful parents who are willing to give their time and energy to Cherokee Bend.
Laura Hydinger
Mountain Brook Junior High
About Laura: I was born and raised in Birmingham and attended school in the Mountain Brook school system. I graduated from the University of Alabama in 1990, where I majored in public relations and minored in English and psychology. Immediately following college graduation, I worked for McGraw-Hill Publishing Company in New York. I returned to Birmingham in 1992 and married my husband, Thornton Hydinger, Jr. (also a Mountain Brook and University of Alabama graduate) in 1994. We have two children: Thornton, III (14), a rising ninth grader, and Sarah (12), a rising seventh grader.
School PTO event: With the help of the school administration and a group of teachers, the PTO formed SOS, a group that encourages students to volunteer in the community around them and the world at large. Parent volunteers and a faculty sponsor work with MBJH students to select and organize hands-on volunteer opportunities for students to participate in throughout the year. The goal of the group is to instill a life-long love of service in our children. The net effect is that our students develop a greater tolerance and empathy for others and understand more about the world around them. It is a very empowering experience to use your own efforts to create positive change.
Vision for the upcoming year: My personal motto for the coming year is ‘Dream Big.’ We have an incredibly dynamic and committed group of parent volunteers on our PTO Board and committees. With their leadership in the coming year, we will begin a long range strategic planning process that we hope will help support our school in a very positive and impactful way. We are looking to work “smarter instead of harder” in every area.
Carol de la Torre
Crestline Elementary
About Carol: I am originally from Houston, Texas. I attended SMU in Dallas where I studied business. I have been married to my husband Gorge for 16 years and we have lived in Mountain Brook for the last 14 years. We have three children, Mary Margaret (13), who attends MBJH and Anna Cristina (12) and Austin (10) who attend Crestline Elementary.
School PTO event: In the early fall, typically in September; we host the Boosterthon Fun Run, which raises money through sponsors. It is a weeklong program where children raise pledges for each lap they run. It’s motivating to teachers, families and parents who participate. This will be our sixth year doing the Boosterthon. It has been the most successful event for our school. The kids get to take ownership and the teachers love it.
Vision for the upcoming year: In addition to providing classroom support for our teachers, I plan to continue the momentum to make our PTO more technologically efficient and to present opportunities that will bring the talents of our parents together to meet the needs of CES.
Leigh Ann Sisson
Mountain Brook High School
About Leigh Ann: I was raised mostly in Mountain Brook aside from a little time in Ohio. I went to Mountain Brook High School and attended B i r m i n g h a m - Southern. My undergraduate degree was in international business, and I got a master’s in public and private management. I am currently working on getting a nursing degree from Samford. I have been married for 24 years to my husband, Tommy, who grew up in and around North Alabama. We have four children, Miller (16), Ann (16), John (14) and Hamp (12).
School PTO event: The High School PTO serves solely to support events and programs that are planned and put in motion by the school. A prime example of this can be seen in our PTO involvement with the College Admissions Program that is held each year at MBHS. This program is a joint effort between the counseling staff at the High School and our PTO.
Vision for the upcoming year: There are two things that we will concentrate on in the coming year. One will be raising funds for the school, and then ensuring that those funds are used to enhance the effective and engaging learning environment at our school. And two, we will work on targeting and utilizing the vast array of talents and manpower hours that we can supply as an organization to effectively support this same learning environment.
Tricia Golden
Mountain Brook Elementary
About Tricia: I was born in Athens, Ga., but I moved allaround the Southeast, changing schools nine times. I attended the University of Georgia, where I received a degree in communications. I moved to Birmingham in June 1997 after marrying my husband, eoff, who is originally from the area. We have three children, Wilson (13), Crawford (10) and Greer (7). They attend Mountain Brook Junior High and Mountain Brook Elementary.
School PTO events: Along with the Boosterthon, we also have a Halloween Carnival each fall. The event is held in late October on a Friday afternoon. There are pumpkin carvings and costume contests, rides and a DJ. It’s a fun event for kids.
Vision for the upcoming year: We’ve come a long way with technology, and I would like to continue the advancement of technology and how we communicate with parents. We do a lot of things online now, such as our eNews weekly update and our digital signup sheets using SignUpGenius. We have a great tradition of having great parents, and we want to keep great communication with them.