Meet this year's PTO Presidents
Nicky Barnes - Mountain Brook High School
About Nicky: I moved here from Chicago with my husband and our 7-month-old baby. We now have four boys and that 7-month-old baby, Mack, just graduated from Mountain Brook High School. We also have Cooper, Camden and Elijah. My husband, Mack, is a cancer surgeon in private practice. He and I worked together. He was an Ob/Gyn resident and I was a nurse midwife at Northwestern Hospital before moving here. I practiced as a nurse midwife at UAB for about three years.
School PTO fundraisers: Spartan PTO has a fundraiser called Write a Check Campaign. It was first developed at the high school as the “easiest, least painful fundraiser of all time.” The fundraiser was designed as a “one time ask.” We keep 100 percent of the money. The money that we collect from our PTO dues go to help pay for PTO-sponsored events like our alcohol and drug awareness activities, college admission workshop, graduation, teacher appreciation and more. Last year the Spartan PTO was able to give $250 to each teacher for classroom needs and supplies. We also bought several teaching computer programs, iPads and a new laminator for the school.
Vision for upcoming year: We just learned that our principal is leaving for a superintendent position in Hartselle, so my goal is to help make a seamless transition for the PTO and the new principal. I want to develop and nurture a relationship with the new administration.
Alicia Garrison - Mountain Brook Elementary
About Alicia: I have lived in Mountain Brook for 19 years and am originally from Montgomery. My husband, Sims, grew up on the street we live on now and even went to MBE. We have two children: Parker, 14, and Kathryn, 11. Our family loves playing and watching sports and traveling.
School PTO fundraisers: The PTO at MBE sponsors many events, including the Halloween Carnival, Winter Reading Celebration and Writers’ Festival. Our fundraising efforts include the Lancer Sponsorship drive and the Boosterthon Fun Run. The Girlfriend Gala raises project-specific funds for annually to-be-determined projects. This year, special projects include implementing the Leader in Me process and providing extensive teacher training in literacy.
Vision for upcoming year: I hope our students and teachers can begin to see the effects of the literacy training and Leader in Me process. The school staff has made such a huge commitment to growth for our children, and I want them to feel supported by the PTO.
Joanna Hufham - Cherokee Bend Elementary School
About Joanna: I grew up in Mountain Brook and attended Cherokee Bend School. My husband, David, is an orthodontist in Crestline, and we have three children, Anna, 13, James, 10, and Henry, 8. I help part-time with bookkeeping at my husband’s office and enjoy cooking, travel and sports.
School PTO fundraisers: Some of the fundraisers include the Boosterthon Fun Run, the fall Family Dinner, Ca$h and Da$h, The Bend’s Got Talent! talent show and our annual spring carnival. We also have our school kick-off party for moms, Girlapalooza, and this fall we are selling gift wrap online. We were able to use PTO funds for teacher and staff support and technology updates, as well as for library enhancement, including Writer’s Festival. Funds were also used to sustain Camp Tremont, our fifth grade’s fall retreat and our Fair Oaks Adventure curriculum, which uses problem-solving initiatives, game and rope-course activities to promote healthy relationships at school and home.
Vision for upcoming year: One of my goals is to increase participation in our Chief Sponsor program, an opportunity for businesses, individuals and families to make an annual contribution to our Chief PTO.
Crawford Bumgarner - Mountain Brook Junior High School
About Crawford: I am married to Stephen Bumgarner. He is a partner with the law firm Burr & Forman. I have two daughters, ages 14 and 12. I grew up in Mountain Brook and attended Highlands Day School, MBJH and Mountain Brook High School. I graduated from Vanderbilt University and worked in the financial industry until becoming a stay-at-home mom. I enjoy playing tennis, walking with friends and spending time with family.
School PTO fundraisers: We will kick-off with registration and Spartan Day in August for our incoming seventh graders. Our Art Forms event has become an amazing showcase of student talent. We will plan dances for seventh, eighth and ninth graders, as well as host Career Day for our ninth graders. Last year, the Junior Spartan PTO embarked on a “one ask” check writing campaign for its primary fundraiser. We were able to provide iPads for our classrooms and some system upgrades to support the iPads.
Vision for upcoming year: We have our sights set on helping furnish our newly renovated library with some very forward thinking furniture, in addition to providing necessary tools for our classrooms. Our goals for the Junior Spartan PTO are to support the administration in its efforts, whether it is with our time or our fundraising.
Sumner Starling - Crestline Elementary
About Sumner: I grew up in Crestline and graduated from Mountain Brook High School. I attended Washington & Lee University in Virginia and then worked in commercial banking in Atlanta, where I met my husband, Jeff. Jeff is an attorney at Balch & Bingham LLP. We have two children, Jane Perry and Walker. I retired from banking in Birmingham 10 years ago and have enjoyed volunteering and working as a design assistant for Marjorie Johnston & Co. I also enjoy reading, gardening and design.
School PTO fundraisers: Cougar Contributors and Boosterthon are our two biggest fundraisers at Crestline. Over the past few years, the PTO has helped fund a major playground renovation, technology upgrades and teacher classroom allowances. This summer Crestline is redoing its sports courts thanks to the PTO’s fundraising efforts.
Vision for upcoming year: Our fundraising will be focused on supporting a teacher training workshop for the summer of 2014. We will also be organizing social outings for parents in each grade and will expand our Brown Bag Lunch series to bring in more speakers to discuss issues like bullying and the ever-changing world of technology.
Christy Lee - Brookwood Forest Elementary
About Christy: I grew up in Atlanta and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in accounting. My husband, H.B., and I met at Auburn and have been married for 17 years. We have two daughters at BWF: Megan, 10, and Harper, 7. My husband grew up in Mountain Brook. We have lived in the Brookwood Forest area for the past seven years.
School PTO fundraisers: Ranger PTO has several fundraisers, but the biggest are the Ranger sponsor campaign, Boosterthon and the winter auction. These fundraisers are designed to support BWF’s strategic plan, invest in BWF and support PTO activities. Just as important are BWF’s Got Talent, Expressions, Field Day, Red Ribbon Week, Circle of Friends, Writers’ Festival, Book Fair, Family Night Dinner and Forest Fling. One of Ranger PTO’s biggest endeavors was funding the Ranger Room, a workspace that converted our conference room into a state-of-the-art technology work center for collaborative and specialized learning.
Vision for upcoming year: Our goals for this year’s PTO are to continue to provide funding resources back to BWF, and to continue to build community in our school through PTO-sponsored events and volunteer involvement.