Meet this year’s PTO presidents
Ensley Darnall: PTO President, Cherokee Bend Elementary
I am a mother to Steele and Mary Jackson, who are rising fourth-graders at Cherokee Bend. I am an Auburn building science graduate who is actually from Tuscaloosa! I have been active in our community and the Birmingham area for many years, and once I had kids, focusing on their school seemed to be the natural fit. This year as Chief PTO president will be my third year to sit on our school board.
Our Chief PTO has done a good job over the last few years making sure we were able to meet our school’s requests.
My personal vision for next year, knowing that needs will be taken care of, will be a little more global. Myself and committee chairs are working on adding community programs to the fabric of our school. We plan to have nine months of giving and teach our kids about how our community will be a better place if we all work together, helping our friends in need.
Kristy Parrott: PTO President, Mountain Brook Elementary
I grew up in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas. Our family moved to Alabama in 2008 when my husband, Keith, accepted a job here in Birmingham. Our two older children, Reid and Mary Kathryn, attended the junior high and graduated from MBHS in 2014 and 2015. Our youngest son, Benjamin, will be a sixth-grader at MBE this year.
MBE’s PTO had an amazing year in 2015-16 with a successful playground campaign, and we are excited to build on that success. For this year, we will continue with our regular fundraising events with Boosterthon and Lancer Sponsors being our largest. We will have a Fall Festival and a Spring Fun Run, as well.
We have a new leadership team with Ashley McCombs as our new principal and Brannon Aaron as the assistant principal. We’ve been working together on ways to help bring our MBE community together to celebrate all the great things that happen at the school every day. We have an amazing new playground that our students will be able to enjoy for many years to come, and we’ll celebrate this with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the beginning of school.
Meg Kerr: PTO President, Mountain Brook Junior High School
I grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. I attended Vanderbilt University for undergrad and received a M.Ed. from Emory University. I taught elementary school for seven years in Atlanta before having children of my own. My husband, David, and I have four daughters, Eleanor, Libby, Lucy and Annie. I will have children this year at Cherokee Bend, plus the junior and high schools.
Last year, we were able to buy classroom furniture and give the auditorium a new sound system and curtains. In addition to fundraising, we oversee committees such as Spartan Day, Teacher hospitality, school dances and many more.
As the MBJH PTO president, my vision is to help parents, students and staff feel positive about the junior high experience. Through fundraising I hope to provide the school with resources needed to improve the learning environment. Mainly, I hope to encourage collaboration by parents and staff members.
Morgan Cook: PTO President, Crestline Elementary
I grew up in Atlanta and attended Davidson College. I moved here after marrying my husband, Philip Cook, a Birmingham native. We have two children, Philip, 10, and Juliette, 7.
Our two fundraisers, Boosterthon and Cougar Contributors, fund projects that enhance instruction and learning. Other important PTO sponsored events include Fall Festival, Celebrate Writing, Book Fair, Circle of Friends Week and Teacher Appreciation Week.
Last year, Crestline experienced a year of accolades capped off by the recognition of our dear friend, Jerome Lewis, as CINTAS National Janitor of the Year. As the Crestline family faces our first year without Jerome’s daily presence in our midst, I hope that his spirit will inspire us to listen to each other a little more closely and care for each other a little more deeply.
As a PTO we will continue to provide our students and teachers with the highest level volunteer and funding resources possible.
Tona Hitson: PTO President, Brookwood Forest Elementary
I graduated from the University of Georgia and Cumberland School of Law, where I met my husband, Brent. We moved to Mountain Brook in 2002. We have four children, all of whom are in the Mountain Brook schools.
Ranger PTO is an important part of the Brookwood Forest Elementary family. It serves BWF students and faculty with a helping hand as often as it can, both financially and by providing volunteers.
So many new ideas were implemented under the previous presidents and I hope to continue the growth mindset. We look forward to continuing the traditions that we’ve grown to love but welcome new ideas to make BWF the best it can be.
Tracy Bragg: PTO President, Mountain Brook High School
Birmingham has been my home since I graduated from Auburn, which means I’ve lived here many, many years and love it. My husband, John, and I both enjoyed growing up in small towns — Fayette, Alabama, and Mandeville, Louisiana — and we appreciate the sense of community in Mountain Brook.
High school parents are busy folks, but our children are our priority. As an MBHS parent, I’ve been impressed by how efficiently the Spartan PTO uses our time and money. For example, last year the PTO spent just over 20 percent of its budget to provide numerous events for MBHS families and teachers like the College Admissions Workshop, timely speakers for parents, study breaks during exams and so many other programs. The remaining 78 percent of PTO dues and donations were returned to the school for classroom instruction or improvements in the library.
Many duties give us parents a chance to connect with one another or, if we choose to, to work with students or teachers. Lastly, we parents find value in the programs and speakers. In recent years, we’ve had excellent speakers and positive parent participation and feedback. For more information, visit spartan.my-pto.org to sign up or email me at thebraggfamily@hotmail.com to find a committee that interests you.